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Massachusetts Chapter National Lawyers Guild 14 Beacon St., Boston, MA 02108 ApriMl/May 2014 assw ww.nDlgmass.org issenVol. 3t 7, No. 2 In This Edition Life in Law School Given the number of law Najeeb introduces a project schools in Massachusetts and that hopes to address this issue Life in Law School student Guild involvement, it in Justice Bridge. is appropriate that Mass Katherine Devanney page 1 Dissent cover issues of special reflects on the role of political Guild News interest to law students. Given discussion in her legal educa - the pressures of law school, tion in No Politics in Class . page 3 students often feel they are in Do get in touch with her to crisis mode. For many law stu - discuss this further. As a pro - NLG Annual Meeting dents, me included, Guild gressive student in a conserva - page 4 membership is a touchstone: tive area, she could use Ah, yes. This is why I came to encouragement! Stand Up! Fight Back! law school. Now I remember. Finally, we have NLG page 5 Guild students are busy Senior Research and National balancing studies and involve - Student Organizer Traci A Cacophony of Baritones ment in social movements. In Yoder who talks about the page 7 Stand Up, Fight Back! , Amy Guild’s efforts to address prob - Willis and Hannah Adams lems in legal education. (On No Politics in Class give an overview of their work page 6, we present a selection page 8 with Project No One Leaves, a from The NLG Radical Law campaign to combat the fore - Student Manual , which will be Justice Bridge closure crisis. available in full later this year. page 9 A Cacophony of Baritones The NLG website lists 120 presents Katherine Stock ’s schools with student chapters. NLG & Legal Education experience as a woman in a That is a small army of future page 10 field dominated by men. Her lawyers who, in the words of class is more than 60% non- the NLG constitution, “look male, but that doesn’t solve upon the law as an instrument BOARD MEETING the patriarchal norms that per - for the protection of the peo - meate our institutions. ple, rather than for their Legal practice is nearing a repression.” I hope you enjoy April 16, 6:00 pm crisis. Graduates have trouble this issue of Mass Dissent . finding jobs, while large pop - 14 Beacon St., 1st Fl. ulations who need legal repre - - Trevor Maloney - Boston sentation can’t afford it. Fiza Northeastern School of Law

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NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILD Massachusetts Chapter, Inc. Join a Guild Committee 14 Beacon St., Suite 407 Boston, MA 02108 Street Law Clinic Project: The Street Law Clinic project provides tel.: 617-227-7335 • fax: 617-227-5495 workshops for Massachusetts organizations that address legal needs of [email protected] • [email protected] various communities. Legal education workshops on 4th Amendment www.nlgmass.org Rights (Stop & Search), Landlord/Tenant Disputes, Workers’ Rights, Civil Disobedience Defense, Bankruptcy Law, Foreclosure Prevention BOARD OF DIRECTORS Law, and Immigration Law are held at community organizations, youth CO-CHAIRPERSONS centers, labor unions, shelters, and pre-release centers. If you are a Guild Beverly Chorbajian, Solo Practitioner attorney, law student, or legal worker interested in leading a workshop, David Kelston, Adkins Kelston & Zavez please contact the project at 617-723-4330 or [email protected].

TREASURERS Lawyer Referral Service Panel (LRS): Members of the panel provide Jennifer Norris, Petrucelly, Nadler & Norris legal services at reasonable rates. Referral Service Committee members: Jeff Petrucelly, Petrucelly, Nadler & Norris Makis Antzoulatos, Benjamin Dowling, Sebastian Korth, Douglas MEMBERS Lovenberg, and Jonathan Messinger. For more information, contact the Makis Antzoulatos, CPCS LRS Coordinator at 617-227-7008 or [email protected]. Kevin Barron, Solo Practitioner Hillary Farber, UMass Dartmouth Foreclosure Prevention Task Force: Created in June 2008, the Task Goldstein & Feuer Jeff Feuer, Force’s goal is threefold: (1) advocate for policies that address issues Stefanie Grindle, Grindle Robinson LLP Stephen Hrones, Solo Practitioner that homeowners and tenants of foreclosed houses face, (2) to provide Jonathan Messinger, LoveYourLawyer.com legal assistance to these homeowners and tenants, and (3) to conduct Halim Moris, Moris & O’Shea legal clinics for them. If you are interested in working with the Task Josh Raisler Cohn, CPCS Force, please call the office at 617-227-7335. Rhonda Roselli, Solo Practitioner Elaine Sharp, Solo Practitioner Mass Defense Committee: Consists of two sub-committees: (1) “Legal Carl Williams, CPCS Observers” (students, lawyers, activists) who are trained to serve as legal LAW STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES observers at political demonstrations and (2) “Mass Defense Team” (crim - Ray Burke, Boston College inal defense attorneys) who represent activists arrested for political Alexandra Conlon, Boston University activism. To get involved, please contact the office at 617-227-7335. Tasha Kates, Northeastern Megan MacGillivray, New England Litigation Committee: Established in 2010, the Committee brings K-Sue Park, Harvard civil lawsuits against large institutions (such as government agencies, Suffolk Amy Willis, law enforcement, banks, financial institutions, and/or large corporations) that engage in repressive or predatory actions that affect large numbers STAFF of people and that serve to perpetuate social, racial and/or economic ExECUTIvE DIRECTOR injustice or inequality. To get involved, please contact the Guild office. Urszula Masny-Latos NLG National Immigration Project: Works to defend and extend the LRS COORDINATOR/ADMIN. ASSIST. human and civil rights of all immigrants, both documented and undocu - Ariel Oshinsky mented. The Committee works in coalitions with community groups to STREET LAW CLINIC COORDINATOR organize support for immigrant rights in the face of right-wing political KT Crossman attacks. For more information contact the NLG National Immigration Project at 617-227-9727. LITIGA TION COMMITTEE INTERN Angela Linhardt NLG Military Law Task Force: Provides legal advice and assistance Czara Venegas to those in the military and to others, especially members of the GIRights Mass Dissent (ISSN 0887-8536) is published Hotline, who are counseling military personnel on their rights. It also every other month (February, April, June, provides legal support and helps to find local legal referrals when need - September, October, December) by the National Lawyers Guild, Mass. Chapter, 14 Beacon St., ed. For advice and information, GI’s can call 877-447-4487. To get Suite 407, Boston, MA 02108. Second-class involved, please contact Neil Berman ([email protected]) or postage paid at Boston, MA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Mass Dissent, NLG, Marguerite Helen ([email protected]). 14 Beacon St., Suite 407, Boston, MA 02108. April/May 2014 Mass Dissent Page 2 MassDissent 14/04_Layout 1 4/1/14 11:39 AM Page 3

GUILD NEWS

NLG HAPPY HOUR You NLG ANNUAL GALA The are invited to the “ NLG Presents...” Happy Hour - an NLG Massachusetts Chapter will hold its Annual event held quarterly on the 2nd Wednesday of Gala on Friday, May 16, 2014. The event will be at January, April, September , and November . See Dante Alighieri Cultural Center in Kendall Sq., below information about the next event (a report from Cambridge . This will be our 33rd event. We will cele - the most recent Happy Hour is on page 4 of Mass brate outstanding achievements of a group of inspiring Dissent issued in the following month.) If you have NLG comrades and supporters. For more information, ideas for a presentation or would like to be a speaker, please contact our office at 617-227-7335. ( See the please call the NLG office at 617-227-7335. announcement o n page 4.)

Street Law Clinic Report NLG Happy Hour The following clinics and trainings were conducted for members of Boston area community organizations and PROSECUTING 1st AMENDMENT agencies: ACTIVITIES: UNITED STATES v. TAREK MEHANNA February 8: Legal Observing at a protest and flash mob organized by tenant and anti-homelessness an evening with activists in Boston, by Laura Alfring . J. W. Carney, Jr.

February 22: Stop & Search for law students at Wednesday, April 9, 2014 Roger William University School of Law in Bristol, 6:00 - 8:00 pm RI, by Chris Williams . Red Hat Cafe (9 Bowdoin St., Boston) March 5: Stop & Search clinic for Arise for Social Justice and its youth committee in U.S. citizen Tarek Mehanna was convicted of pro - Springfield, MA, by Luke Ryan . viding assistance to Al Qaida by translating texts from Arabic to English and by showing Al Qaida- March 14: Legal Observing at a protest organ - produced videos to his friends. NLG member J. W. Carney will discuss whether the "war on terror" has ized by IWW against Insomnia Cookies company gone too far. in Cambridge, by law students Mark McMahon (Northeastern). March 18: Legal Observing at a protest at March 14: Stop & Search clinic for students at the Northeastern University against the school’s suspens - Higgenson-:ewis Middle School in Roxbury, by sion on the Students for Justice in Palestine, by Makis Antzoulatos, Max Geller (Northeastern), Makis Antzoulatos and Steve Toff (Northeastern). and Carl Williams . March 30: Legal Observer and Civil Disobedience March 16: Civil Disobedience training for immi - trainings for Student Youth Climate Action at MIT, by gration activists involved in New England Neil Berman, Melinda Drew, Jeff Feuer, and Encuentro, by Makis Antzoulatos . Stefanie Grindle .

ARTICLES FOR MASS DISSENT The Summer issue of Mass Dissent will focus on indigenous societies and environmental movements. If you are interested in submitting an article, essay, analysis, or art work (cartoons, pictures) related to the topic, please e-mail your work to [email protected]. The deadline for articles is May 15. April/May 2014 Mass Dissent Page 3 MassDissent 14/04_Layout 1 4/1/14 11:40 AM Page 4

2014 NLG Annual Gala At the January meeting, the NLG Board of Robert is the younger son of Ethel and Julius Directors announced this year’s NLG Gala hon - Rosenberg; he recently retired as Executive orees. We are thrilled to present the 2014 Director of the Rosenberg Fund for Children which awards to Beverly Chorbajian and Susan funds services for the children of targeted activists. Church (Lawyer Award) , Robert Meeropol Craig is a climate justice activist who co- (Lifetime Achievement Award) , Craig founded Students for a Just and Stable Future Altemose (Legal Worker Award) , and Jay and is the Director of the Better Future Project. Lamanna and Oren Nimni (Student Award) . Jay was a student at Western New England Beverly is a criminal defense attorney in School of Law and a committed fighter for a Worcester who represents prisoners, activists, better world. We lost him last December. and victims of police brutality. Oren is a student at Northeastern School of Susan is a law partner at Demissie & Law and an active member of his school’s NLG Church in Cambridge; she represents immi - chapter, working for tenant and prisoner rights. grants with criminal convictions facing depor - The Gala will be held on Friday, May 16, tation and defends political protesters 6:00pm, at Dante Alighieri in Cambridge .

NLG Annual Meeting & Elections of Officers

In March, the Chapter held its Annual Meeting at which the new Officers and Board of Directors were elected. We welcomed Beverly Chorbajian as a new co-Chair; Jennifer Norris , a new co-Treasurer; and new Board members Kevin Barron , Stefanie Grindle , Stephen Hrones , and Rhonda Roselli . We would like to thank Patricia Cantor for her almost a decade-long service as a co-Treasurer of the Chapter and Stephanie Young-Marzouk for her service on the Board of Directors. We appreciate your commitment to and (Below) Beverly Chorbajian (r.) is giving a report from the NLG Mass Defense work for the Guild. Committee while Benjamin Falkner (c.) is preparing for his presentation on the last-year’s city lockdown. (Photos by Urszula Masny-Latos and Ariel Oshinsky.)

Congratulations to Tasha!

In February, the NLG member Tasha Kates and her partner Mike Prentice welcomed the birth of their son Wesley Xavier Prentice (WesX for short), and the NLG welcomed its next generation of revolutionaries! The mother and the baby are healthy and are doing very well. We wish you all happiness (and sleepful nights!) April/May 2014 Mass Dissent Page 4 MassDissent 14/04_Layout 1 4/1/14 11:40 AM Page 5

Stand Up, Fight Back! by Amy Mei Willis & Hannah eviction or an abuse of their gram is to help at risk homeown - Adams rights. ers of foreclosure by lowering Tenants and homeowners monthly mortgage payments. face a variety of legal issues dur - This is a voluntary program that n 2008, two Harvard Law stu - ing the foreclosure process. A banks can participate in. While dents started Project No One major issue that tenants face most major banks do, others LIeaves (PNOL), in an effort to post-foreclosure is that properties might utilize their own loan modi - combat the foreclosure crisis in bought by banks are often neg - fication plans. Unfortunately, Boston by connecting homeown - lected; leaving people in barely applying for a loan modification is ers and tenants facing foreclo - habitable conditions. When a pri - complicated and can be confus - sure to legal assistance and a vate investor or bank becomes ing for many eligible applicants. community of people organizing the new owner of the property Legal provisions prevent banks to fight their banks. PNOL volun - they have a legal duty to act like from foreclosing on a person teers canvass properties around the Boston area in various stages of the legal foreclosure process. PNOL is now a statewide collabo - ration between Greater Boston Legal Services, Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, grassroots communi - ty organization City Life/vida Urbana, and other community action groups. Because Massachusetts is a non-judicial foreclosure state, where a bank does not need to go to court to foreclose on some - one but does need to go to court NLG member Hannah Adams moderates an NLG-sponsored panel at NUSL on City to evict someone after foreclo - Life’s organizing efforts for affordable housing and against foreclosures and evictions. sure, opportunities for organizing and legal action are prevalent a landlord. Though, in reality while they are in the loan modifi - post-foreclosure at the eviction there is little incentive for them to cation process or trial payment defense stage. PNOL takes the take care of the property, since plan (3 months). You would think opposite approach, connecting there is more money to be made there is incentive for banks to with homeowners before their if they can flip the house. A sec - modify mortgages when people house has been sold at auction to ond issue is that many people are more than willing to pay but their bank or to a third-party don’t know that they have a right for various reasons are experi - investor, so that they can learn to fight their eviction in court, so encing a change in financial cir - their rights and join City Life’s they get tricked into accepting low cumstances. The banks do not Bank Tenant Association (BTA) ball “cash for keys” offers or leave make it easy for many applicants for support early on in the foreclo - without a fight thinking they have though, and the result is that peo - sure process. Tenants are also no choice. ple face losing their home that impacted by foreclosure; too For former homeowners it is they have often lived in for often there are tenants living in not as simple as defaulting on decades. houses that have been fore - their mortgage and thus, no Outside of loan modifications closed on and the landlord has longer having right to possess or house buyback programs, not even bothered to tell them. their property. A few years ago another option for many former Massachusetts is a comparative - President Obama set up a feder - homeowners whose properties ly tenant friendly state and by al program entitled the Home have been purchased at auction connecting with people PNOL Affordable Modification Plan by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac is can preemptively help them avoid (HAMP). The purpose of the pro - Continued on page 6

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Stand Up, Fight Back!

Continued from page 5 in investor take-overs also con - Life/vida Urbana or at other ten - tribute to gentrification and dis - ant rights groups people have a to sign a lease with those entities, placement. And of course these chance to meet with lawyers for or pay “use and occupancy,” collateral impacts on families and free. Getting there is the impor - while looking for new accommo - communities are disparate on tant part. New members at City dations. However, Fannie and racial lines. Life participate in a call and Freddie are notorious for refusing A new PNOL chapter started response ritual where they pro - to sign leases with former owners by the NLG chapters at claim their willingness to fight to or accepting use and occupancy. Northeastern and Suffolk Law stay in their home. Our Through all the bureaucracy and currently canvasses properties in response? “We’ll fight with you”. pointless piles of paperwork the Dorchester, Roslindale, Mattapan, Will you? reason is quite simple: Fannie Roxbury, and Jamaica Plain each City Life/vida Urbana meets and Freddie, like the banks, ask Saturday. This enables more every Tuesday 6:30pm-8pm in the question “how can I make the properties to be reached that are the Sam Adams Brewery most money?” further away from Harvard Legal Complex (284 Amory St, Jamaica Foreclosure is about Aid Bureau in Cambridge, which Plain). If you want to volunteer, more than a house. Housing is at coordinates and sends out volun - call 617-524-3541. the epicenter of a web of socio- teers to the list of at risk proper - economic problems and injus - ties. You don’t have to be a law Amy Mei Willis and Hannah tices that plague many of the res - student to help out with canvass - Adams are both 2nd year law stu - idents of Greater Boston. ing. Project No One Leaves is dents at Suffolk Law School and Foreclosure damages entire more about supporting communi - Northeastern School of Law, communities by lowering property ty organizing and giving people respectively. They are both inter - values, thus impacting the ability experiencing foreclosure ested in applying the principles of of families to build generational resources dedicated to helping community lawyering in move - wealth. Foreclosures that result them stay in their home. At City ments for housing justice.

An Excerpt from The NLG Radical Law School Manual

The Radical Law School Manual will be available for the Fall 2014 semester at www.nlg.org.

The Radical Law School Manual is designed as a tool to change law school culture from the inside out. We start from the assumption that the current practices of legal education can be challenged and improved through the organization and determination of students and their allies. This manual identi - fies the structures and unspoken assumptions that maintain the elite and conservative nature of law schools, and by extension, of the law itself. The belief that legal education can and must change is a radical assertion. The overall effect of being in law school is to isolate students from their values and from each other and to reframe social, ethical, and political issues in the dry and obtuse language of the law. We challenge this version of law school and offer analyses and tools to create a new kind of legal education—one that will teach how law can be used for the benefit of people over property. This manual was created for social justice activists who have already decided that they plan to attend law school or are currently enrolled in a program. Whether you are interested in a career that requires a law degree, want to have more resources available to you in your social justice work, or are simply tired of interacting with lawyers who are arrogant and thoughtless, there are many reasons why activists decide to get a legal education. However, law school is not an easy or pleasant experience for most people. Our intention is to offer ways to both cope with the stressful and hierarchical nature of law school as well as to change as many of its deleterious aspects as possible. A radical legal education will produce radically different kinds of lawyers, which will reshape the legal profession.

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A Cacophony of Baritones: Increasing Female Voices in Class by Katherine Stock when society has taught them to on more consistently, and are constantly question the value of given a longer time on the floor their opinions? regardless of the quality of their never thought that being a Criticisms of efficacy aside, answer. Studies done by other woman in law school could the Socratic Method rewards firm, law schools - most notably mIean I would feel unqualified to well-argued answers and chal - Harvard and Yale - reflect the contribute to the cadence of lenges to authority on the materi - same trend. According to a 2004 class. Sure, I knew going in that al. These are critical lawyering study, men are 50% more likely to law is still a largely male-dominat - skills. On its face, it seems to put volunteer an answer at Harvard 2 ed field. To get up in front of a male and female students on law school than women. room full of people, think on your equal footing. However, it seems voluntariness aside, men are feet and argue effectively is an women are far more subject to 16% more likely just to speak in extremely challenging thing to do; crises of confidence. They class than women, according to a it is also something for which deploy “I think,” “I feel”, and “in 2012 study done at Yale Law 3 society better prepares men. Yet, my understanding” qualifiers in School. Society has simply bet - after working in a trial firm and their answer with far more fre - ter equipped men for success in seeing the benefits and draw - quency. Even women who I know this atmosphere. Women take backs to a multitude of different have a solid command the mate - time to think about the answer – styles, I did not expect law school rial trail off mid-sentence much with the added step of convincing to so uniformly reward a singular more often than men with the ourselves that the answer is good approach: the ability to answer a same understanding. I know I enough. Men assert their opin - question, sometimes with more have internalized my own lacklus - ions immediately and freely. conviction than reasoning, on the ter cold call answers and trail offs, I find myself not only raising spot, before a class of 70 bright, beating myself up over them for my hand simply to add a female competitive, driven minds. days, whereas my male counter - voice to the conversation but also While you certainly can ace parts let it roll off their backs and modifying my behavior to incor - an exam without these skills, move on to the next challenge. porate these traditionally male class participation inures several This is not unique to my experi - traits to gain the respect of my other benefits that echo far ence. According to a May 2013 peers and professors. This has beyond the walls of law school; Harvard Crimson piece, many developed as a direct result of thinking on one’s feet, engaging women feel that the Socratic male colleagues and professors with the material in creative ways, Method reinforces gender dispar - talking over me, willfully misun - and being visible among profes - ities in the classroom and forces derstanding me, or flat out ignor - sors and other students being women to “think like men” in ing me when I take a softer 1 only a few. However, we still live order to be successful. approach. I truly believe this is in a society that punishes women Classes with voluntary partic - hindering my development as a for being too outspoken. ipation do not feel any more bal - lawyer. On occasion, my fellow Ingrained cultural norms give anced. Despite roughly equal female students have women cause to pause and miti - numbers of men and women at approached me and told me how gate the fear of sounding stupid NUSL, male voices are far and much they appreciate hearing a before providing an answer. How away the majority of what I hear female voice in the classroom, are women supposed to prepare in my classes. Men raise their and admit that they are too intim - for a profession in the legal field hands more frequently, are called idated to speak up. It is an approach that has worked for me, 1 Dev A. Patel, In HLS Classes, Women Fall Behind , THE HARvARD CRIMSON, May 8, 2013; available at http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2013/5/8/law-school-gen - but not one I feel should be nec - der-classroom/?page=single#. essary for success in law school. 2 Id. Social norms are often slow 3 Daniel Sisgoreo, Law School Battles Gender Imbalance , YALE DAILY NEWS, to change, and solutions to this Apr. 20, 2012; available at http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2012/04/20/law-school-bat - tles-gender-imbalance/. Continued on page 11

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No Politics in Class by Katherine Devanney students with opposite opinions they disagree with my opinions can serve as a type of sounding on foreign policy. Likewise, you board – a way for an individual to probably don’t care all that much efore arriving at law school, I hone his or her own beliefs under about my position on guns or was under the impression the critical eye of another equally abortion. What it comes down to, I Bthat law school was a hotbed of zealous law student. think, is that we’re all in law school political discourse, with students But, as I soon learned, not to learn the law. Not what we may arguing about esoteric political everyone here even wants to talk wish was the law – but the actual and economic topics both outside about politics. I’ve met a fair law the way it currently stands. and inside the classroom. Law share of law students who just Someone could give me their students love to argue, right? And have no interest in engaging in a entire spiel about why they think isn’t the law inherently political? political debate. “I have cases to the Affordable Care Act is uncon - So when I chose to attend a brief,” one classmate explained to stitutional (and, let me tell you, law school located in a particular - me after I asked how she survived they have), but at the end of the ly conservative area, I didn’t know without checking the news day, we’re in Con Law to under - what to expect. Law school itself throughout the day. But even stand the Constitution as inter - is enough of a black box to the when people do want to talk poli - preted by the Supreme Court. uninitiated, between the Socratic tics, such discourse can quickly That’s not to say that I don’t method, case briefing, and the turn vitriolic. As too often hap - believe that politics belong any - dreaded “law school final” … pens in a “friendly political discus - where in the law school environ - what about social life? Do law sion,” the so-called winner may ment. Student organizations students really, as I thought at the simply be the person who yelled often host politically-themed time, sit around between classes the loudest, who diverted the con - events and speakers, and these arguing about foreign policy and versation, or who resorted to events provide the ideal forum for entitlements? enough ad hominem attacks to interested students to voice their Well, not exactly. Although I make the other person walk away. opinions. Unlike classes, no one can’t speak for other schools, I’ve My Constitutional Law profes - is forced to attend a student found the role of politics in the law sor has a fairly strict “no politics in organization event, so there is lit - school classroom (and social life) class” policy she explained to us tle risk that someone will be inad - to be much less significant than I early in the semester. Every time vertently caught up in a political thought it would be. Sure, there a student answers a question with discussion they don’t want to was the great Creationism debate something political, she responds engage in. It’s also been my of 2014 not long ago involving a with “reflective listening,” a tech - experience that a focused, pan - different 1L, I’m quite surprised nique where she reframes the eled discussion is less likely to that politics don’t come up more comment into more neutral terms: lead to the types of rhetoric and often in the law school arena. (i.e. “What I hear you saying is, name-calling that we can all Which leads to the inevitable ______.”) The coolest part: it agree do not belong in the law question - Should politics be a doesn’t just apply to her. We are school environment. part of the law school experi - also free to use reflective listening So what do we make of poli - ence? On the one hand, I think with her, or even with another stu - tics in law school? Is this even an most would agree that law stu - dent if we feel that the conversa - issue? What types of sticky situ - dents, as future leaders, politi - tion is becoming too political. ations have you found yourself in cians, and attorneys, need to Does it slow down the conversa - because of your politics? Send learn how to effectively advocate tion? Absolutely. Does it make for me an e-mail ([email protected]). for their positions. It seems far- a better learning experience? I I’d love to hear your thoughts! fetched to assume that someone think so. will be able to represent someone None of us came to law else’s position – one in which school to have the same political Katherine Devanney is a 1L at they may not even have a per - discussions with people we could Penn State Law in Carlisle, sonal stake – when they can’t have had before law school. Pennsylvania. She is interested even argue for their most deeply Really, I don’t need to pay in criminal defense, mass incar - held beliefs effectively. Moreover, $40,000 to hear someone tell me ceration, and juvenile law. April/May 2014 Mass Dissent Page 8 MassDissent 14/04_Layout 1 4/1/14 11:40 AM Page 9

Justice Bridge: Pathways to Legal Access and Legal Practice by Fiza Najeeb Justice Bridge and other prepared to start their own solo- incubator programs are designed practice or small law firm as either to provide graduates with tools to a non-profit or an LLC. Once n April of 2014, University of address the “justice gap.” established, law schools in the Massachusetts School of Law, According to a report published Boston area may have the oppor - DIartmouth will be launching by Columbia Law School’s tunity to buy “slots,” which would Justice Bridge, a two-year, legal Human Rights Clinic in August of allow their graduates the same residency program for recently 2013, less than one in five indi - opportunities Dean Mary Lou graduated attorneys. Over the viduals in the United States have Balik is providing for U. Mass, past 10 years, law schools access to legal representation. Dartmouth graduates. nation-wide have been develop - The exorbitant cost of legal repre - Along with legal training, ing “teaching firms” as a way to sentation combined with dimin - Justice Bridge will offer inexperi - close the employment gap that ishing access to pro bono servic - enced attorneys access to the has been plaguing the legal pro - es widened the gap between legal resources needed for self- fession. The American Bar those who do and do not have sufficient community lawyering. Association reports only 56.2 per - access to legal services. While Through collaboration with a for- cent of 2012 law school gradu - access to the justice system has profit tech company, the Justice ates were able to find full-time, been recognized as a prevalent Bridge initiative is developing long term, legal work within 9 human rights issue, the U.S. does “Justiserv,” a technology plat - months of graduation. Justice not recognize a constitutional form, which would provide access Bridge founder Professor right to counsel in civil litigation. to office space, legal research Deborah Ramirez states that one As a result, most individuals do databases, and paralegal assis - of the reasons underlying the job not have access to legal counsel tance at low-cost, hourly rates. scarcity epidemic is the demand when faced with issues such as According to Professor Ramirez, for more efficient, cost effective eviction, employment discrimina - the tech platform will also serve legal services. Technological tion, and domestic violence. as a legal resource hub, which innovation over the past 20 years According to the National community members can access has been particularly “revolution - Center for Access to Justice, 87.4 for a small monthly fee. Justice ary” for large and medium-sized percent of individuals represent Bridge’s technological compo - firms in the private sector. For themselves in court within nent would enable new graduates the new generation of lawyers, Massachusetts. Through a part - and established attorneys to this means that law firms no nership with members in Boston’s become high volume, virtual longer want to pay to train inex - public and private legal communi - lawyers, able to offer low-cost, perienced lawyers. With the ty, Justice Bridge offers inexperi - affordable legal assistance. option for electronic research, enced lawyers mentorship to As any law school admis - electronic case management, bridge both the “justice gap” as sions counselor can attest, dis - electronic discovery, and elec - well as the “employment gap.” mal job prospects have con - tronic filing, companies have Through apprenticeship training, tributed to the significant been turning to cost-effective Justice Bridge attorneys will learn decrease in the number of appli - alternatives, such as outsourced to serve the legal needs of com - cants to law schools. Since 2012, labor, and hiring paralegals to munity members—while acquiring the U.S. News Report has placed perform the work attorneys used the accounting and management a heavier weight on the rate of job to perform. As a solution to the skills necessary for running a suc - placement in law school rankings. employment gap, schools around cessful law firm. The application The unfortunate reality is that the the United States have adopted process asks individual to submit traditional law school curriculum incubator programs in order to a business plan, which they will is no longer adequate preparation provide graduates with legal continue to develop through the for law school graduates. training and entrepreneurial skills program. After they complete the Justice Bridge is an econom - to start their own practice. two year program, they will be Continued on page 11

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The Guild and Legal Education by Traci Yoder legal education on a national psychological effects of law level, with the aim of organizing school, teaching and grading on law school campuses to chal - practices, barriers to legal educa - “The first thing I lost in law school lenge the culture of law school. tion, tuition increases, law student was the reason that I came.” Initiatives include a collaborative debt, radical faculty and curricu - – Unnamed Law Student, as Radical Law School Manual out - lum, contemplation and the law, told to Bill Quigley in “Letter to lining organizing campaigns starting and reviving NLG chap - a Law Student Interested in undertaken by NLG students and ters, and advice for life as a new 1 Social Justice.” a newly-formed faculty network of lawyer. Using the manual as an NLG scholars. organizing guide, the Guild plans t has become a truism that At the 2012 NLG National to launch a nationwide campaign many are drawn to law school Convention in Pasadena, the to challenge tuition increases and Iinitially to further social justice, Student Caucus decided to make law student debt levels. only to end up working in areas of it an organizational priority to To support the work of our the law that have little potential to challenge the status quo of legal student members at their law serve these ideals. For those education. The result was The schools, the NLG National Office who embark on a legal career to Radical Law School Manual , a launched the NLG Faculty serve their values and the public collaborative project which will be Network in November 2013. This interest, legal education can be released this year. This project network will be a forum for NLG difficult, confusing, and ultimately brought together NLG members members who are faculty at law demoralizing experience. Every across the country to research, schools to communicate, collabo - year, thousands of students who write, edit, and design the manu - rate, and support our student intend to enter public interest law al. NLG law students drew on members. Currently, over 100 abandon their plans; this takes an their own expertise and experi - NLG members work at law ongoing toll on the use of law as ences to offer real-life case stud - schools teaching, running clinics, a tool for social change. ies in which students and faculty conducting legal scholarship, and The most common reason organized to change specific supervising NLG student chap - cited for this is economic: the aspects of law school. ters. This network will allow them average law student emerges The RLSM builds on the NLG to better share their work and cre - into practice with well over Disorientation Manual , which the ate a nationwide community of $100,000 in debt. However, this Guild publishes each year and NLG scholars and teachers. is not the only factor. In most uni - distributes to law schools. The Changing the practices, ped - versities, the culture and peda - DisO offers a history of the NLG, agogy, and expectations of law gogy of legal education tend to tips for starting a student chapter, school in order to transform the emphasize commercial law over and short essays on topics such culture of legal education will not public interest fields, and the as community lawyering, legal be an easy process. Over 100 intellectual pressure of law school indoctrination, alternative forms of years of tradition will challenge undermines students’ commit - law practice, and creating a public many of the changes we seek. ment to their ideals. very often interest career. This new manual Remember that you are not students feel very little support goes further by presenting an alone! The NLG offers a nation - within the institution, and a subtle extended analysis of contempo - wide community of lawyers, law pressure to abandon the political rary legal education as well as students, legal workers, and and moral values that informed concrete strategies to change the scholars who can assist you in their decision to pursue law in the culture of law school using exam - changing the conditions at your service of the people. ples from other students who law school. To learn more, con - In order to combat these have successfully fought for tact me at [email protected]. trends, the National Lawyers improvements in their institutions. Guild has recently formed a Topics covered include the domi - national committee to address nant legal career narrative, the Traci Yoder is the NLG Senior 1 William Quigley, “Letter to a Law Student Interested in Social Justice,” DePaul Researcher and National Student Journal for Social Justice , vol. 1, No. 1 (Fall 2007). Organizer. april/May 2014 Mass Dissent Page 10 MassDissent 14/04_Layout 1 4/1/14 11:40 AM Page 11

NLG Massachusetts Chapter Sustainers YES, INCLUDE MY NAME AMONG In the spring of 2003, the Massachusetts Chapter of the NLG initiated NLG MASSACHUSETTS CHAPTER the Chapter Sustainer Program. Since its inception, the Program has SUSTAINERS! been very successful and has been enthusiastically joined by the fol - lowing Guild members: I, ______, am making a commitment to support the Massachusetts 2 Anonymous • Michael Avery • Steven Buckley • Chapter of the Guild with an annual contribution of: Patricia Cantor • Howard Cooper • Barb Dougan • _____ $500 (not including my membership dues) Robert Doyle • Melinda Drew & Jeff Feuer • $ ______(other above $500) Carolyn Federoff • Roger Geller & Marjorie As a sustainer I will receive: Suisman • Lee Goldstein & Shelley Kroll • Lisa • special listing in the Dinner Program; Gordon • Benjie Hiller • Andrei Joseph • Shaun • 1/8 page ad in the Dinner Program; Joseph • Myong Joun • Martin Kantrovitz • • acknowledgement in every issue of Mass Dissent ; • two (2) free raffle tickets for a Holiday Party raffle; Nancy Kelly & John Willshire-Carrera • David • invitation to special events. Kelston • Petrucelly, Nadler & Norris • Hank Phillippi Ryan & Jonathan Shapiro • Allan Rodgers Three ways to become a sustainer: • Martin Rosenthal • Sharryn Ross & Mark Stern • • contribute $500 or more a year (in addition to dues) • pair up with another person and pay $250 each, or Anne Sills & Howard Silverman • Judy Somberg • • join the “Guild Circle” and pay $50/month minimum. Stern, Shapiro, Weissberg & Garin Please mail to : NLG, Massachusetts Chapter The Sustainer Program is one of the most important Chapter initiatives to 14 Beacon St., Suite 407, Boston, MA 02108 secure its future existence. Please consider joining the Program.

A Cacophony of Baritones Justice Bridge Continued from page 7 Continued from page 9

issue are not easy. Rotating on call lists and ically viable solution: it teaches participants to create randomized number generators ensure every - jobs while catering to a demographic with no access one has an opportunity to speak in class, but to legal representation. By investing in Justice does not address the fact that women do not Bridge, law schools will provide graduates with an contribute to class with at nearly the same rate opportunity to build a strong clientele and mentor as men. Further nationwide discourse on the network while developing the necessary skills for subject is clearly necessary, as awareness of an establishing their own firm. The more graduates issue is the key to changing it. The most impor - with jobs, the higher law schools will be ranked. It tant thing we as women can do on an individual seems—for once—that those adhering to the gospel basis, however, is to start speaking up. Answer of economic efficiency can do so while genuinely everything and anything in class you possibly serving the interests of their law students and the can. Our insights are valuable, as are our con - community at large. Law schools, law firms, and tributions. Our collective voices have the power community organizations interested in getting shift the baritone drone of the classroom into a involved with Justice Bridge may do so by contact - full choir. We need to start using them. ing Prof. Deborah Ramirez at [email protected].

Katherine Stock is a student at Northeastern Fiza Najeeb is a 1st year student at Northeastern University School of Law, Class of 2016. She is University School of Law. Her interests include pris - interested in environmental litigation and interna - oners rights, police misconduct, juvenile justice and tional law. access to education. April/May 2014 Mass Dissent Page 11 MassDissent 14/04_Layout 1 4/1/14 11:40 AM Page 12

Periodical Postage & Fees Mass Dissent PAID USPS 0760-110 PERIODICAL USPS Permit 0760-110 The National Lawyers Guild is... " ... an association dedicated to the need for basic change in the structure of our political and economic system. We seek to unite the lawyers, law students, legal workers and jailhouse lawyers of America in an organization which shall function as an effective political and social force in the service of people, to the end that human rights shall be regarded as more sacred than property interests." -Preamble to the Constitution of the National Lawyers Guild

Donate to Support the Guild! The Massachusetts Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild’s Mass Defense Committee provides legal representation and assistance to activists from all progressive political movements.

We need your support. Please help us by donating to the Mass Chapter. Mail this form and your check to 14 Beacon St., Suite 407, Boston, MA 02108) or visiting www.nlgmass.org/donate .

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Fill out and send to : National Lawyers Guild, Massachusetts Chapter Please Join Us! 14 Beacon St., Suite 407, Boston, MA 02108 Dues are calculated on a calendar year basis NAME: ______(Jan.1-Dec.31) according to your income*: ADDRESS: ______Jailhouse Lawyers ...... Free CITY/STATE/ZIP: ______Law Students ...... $25 PHONE: (w)______(h)______up to $15,000 ...... $40 over $15,000 to $20,000 ...... $50 E-MAIL: ______over $20,000 to $25,000 ...... $75 FAX: ______over $25,000 to $30,000 ...... $100 over $30,000 to $40,000 ...... $150 Circle one : Lawyer Legal Worker Law Student Jailhouse Lawyer over $40,000 to $50,000 ...... $200 over $50,000 to $60,000 ...... $250 Alumna/Alumnus of ______Year ______over $60,000 to $70,000 ...... $300 over $70,000 to $80,000 ...... $350 Dues (from schedule): ______over $80,000 to $90,000 ...... $400 over $100,000 ...... $500 I am interested in working on the following projects: _____ Lawyer Referral Service * Any new member who joins after September 1 will be _____ Street Law Clinic carried over to the following year. Dues may be paid in _____ Mass Defense Committee full or in quarterly installments. Dues of $80 cover the _____ Litigation Committee basic membership costs, which include publication and _____ Mass Dissent (monthly publication) mailing of Mass Dissent (the Chapter's monthly newslet - _____ National Immigration Project ter), national and regional dues, and the office and staff.