New England Clinical Conference

Teaching Race, Gender and Class:
Learning from our students, communities and each other
New England Clinical Conference, Nov. 6-7th, 2015
Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA

Friday, Nov. 6, 2015

11:00am – 12:00pm: Registration, South entrance of Wasserstein Hall

12:00pm – 1:30pm: Opening Luncheon, Milstein West B, WCC 2019

Welcome Remarks, Dan Nagin, Vice Dean for Experiential and Clinical Education

Introduction, Lisa Dealy, Assistant Dean for Clinical and Pro Bono Programs

Keynote Address, Brenda V. Smith, Washington College of Law at American University

1:40pm – 2:40pm:

“Poking The Elephant in the Room; Creative ways to discuss and teach about race in the criminal justice system,” Dehlia Umunna and Jennifer McKinnon, Harvard Law School, Milstein East C

Race, gender, and class issues are difficult, sometimes controversial topics to teach; the topic potentially presents many challenges for students and teachers. To that end, this presentation explores unique techniques that allow for a vibrant, candid discussion on issues of race, class, and gender, in the criminal justice system. Additionally, the presentation explores ways to address the credibility and authenticity gap of the narrative essential in teaching about race and gender issues.

2:45pm – 3:45pm:

“The Indignities of Language,” Jeremiah Ho & Margaret Drew, UMass School of Law, Milstein East C

This workshop will address the ways in which harmful language seeps into our vocabulary and consciousness in everyday speech and in legal speak. The discussion will address and go beyond microaggressions. We will challenge each other to examine the possible impact our words have on others, particularly on those who are vulnerable in our culture. The topic will be explored from perspectives of class, race, gender and ethnicity.

3:50pm – 4:50pm: Concurrent Panels

“Judicial Internship, Community Justice Clinics, and the Crises in Our Nation’s Community Courts,” Honorable John Cratsley (Retired), Harvard Law School, and Karen Tokarz, Washington University Law School, Lewis 214A

While much of the post-Ferguson conversation across the country has focused on police-community relationships, the local courts in these communities have received considerable attention for a myriad of civil rights violations with widespread race and class based disparities, in particular, policing for profit, unfair fees and fines, misuse of bail, failure to address inability to pay and provide sentencing alternatives, conflicts of interest, and, in some cases, judicial misconduct. The Department of Justice Report is highly critical of the Ferguson municipal court and raises concerns about municipal courts everywhere in the nation. Students in clinical programs operating in community courts (as judicial interns, advocates, or mediators) have been thrust into observation, research, and discussion (in judicial internships) and litigation, community education, legislative advocacy, and media advocacy (in community justice/civil justice clinics) on court practices that have significant adverse impact on the poor and minorities, and call out for massive overhaul of the courts. This panel will delve into the challenges students and instructors face in grappling with these discriminatory practices and emerging efforts for reform.

“You Can’t Sit There, It’s Reserved for Attorneys,” Virginia Benzan, Suffolk Law School & Caryn Mitchell-Munevar, New England Law, Lewis 214B

What do you do when court staff, opposing parties, even clients do not see you as the attorney or treat you differently? This session will cover how to manage implicit and explicit bias as a new attorney. Recently, there has been a surge in legal writing on how implicit bias heavily influences our decision-making without our conscious knowledge. This panel will examine effective strategies on how to navigate the legal community given these findings.

4:55pm – 5:55pm: Concurrent Panels

“SPEAK Vermont: Promoting Powerful Voices,” Jessica Bullock, Vermont Law School, Victoria Scozzaro, Vermont Law School, Luke Dodge, University of Vermont, Ryan Tartre, University of Vermont & Isabella Olson, University of Vermont, Lewis 214A

Vermont Law School’s SPEAK Organization strives to promote debate, public speaking, and advocacy for VLS students and individuals incarcerated in Vermont. This student panel will 1) provide information on both SPEAK’s active student group on the Vermont Law School (VLS) campus and the SPEAK Vermont Prison Debate Initiative, which has recently received state-wide attention, and 2) offer a demonstration debate by VLS and University of Vermont students based on arguments presented at SPEAK Vermont’s most recent debate inside the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility.

“Partnering with Undergraduates to Enhance Clinic Function and Create New Pipelines,” Keith Fogg, Villanova Law School, Beth Lyon, Cornell Law School & Lany Villalobos, Staff Attorney at Philadelphia Legal Assistance, Lewis 214B

To effectively represent an almost entirely Spanish-speaking population of farmworkers, one clinic partnered with the modern language department to have the clinical program serve as the field component of an internship seminar on community interpretation. The panel will describe the steps taken to establish and to operate these partnerships as well as the ethical and logistical issues raised by creation of the partnerships.

6:00pm: Reception, The Pub, Wasserstein

Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015

8:00am – 8:30am: Breakfast, Wasserstein Hall 3019

8:30am – 9:30am: Concurrent Works-In-Progress Sessions

Wasserstein Hall 3038:

“The Other Side of Crimmigration” Rachel Rosenbloom, Northeastern University School of Law

“Protecting the Most Vulnerable: The Need for Safeguards in Fast-Track Removal Proceedings” Aimee Mayer-Salins, Boston College Law School

“Under-aged, Undocumented and Underserved: Noncitizen Youth in the Juvenile Justice System” Beth Zilberman, Boston College Law School

Wasserstein Hall 3034:

“Heroism, Patriarchy and the Adult-Child Victim Divide in Institutional Responses to Campus Sexual Violence” Jill Engle, Penn State Law

“Counter-narratives for a Career: Teaching Individuation and Stereotype Replacement in Clinical Settings” Christopher Northrop, University of Maine School of Law

“The Reintegrative State” Joy Radice, University of Tennessee College of Law

“Not Just Ferguson”: Time to Reform (or Abandon) Municipal Courts in Favor of Community Justice? Karen Tokarz, Washington University Law School

Wasserstein Hall 3036:

“Do Community Benefits Agreements Benefit Communities?” Edward De Barbieri, Brooklyn Law School

“On USERRA” Marcy Karin, Arizona State University College of Law

“You Are Not Lawyering Unless You Are Litigation: Re-Imagining Social Justice In The Context Of The Transactional Law Clinic To Debunk This Myth” Lynnise Pantin, Boston College Law School

9:40am – 10:40am: “Ending the School-to-Prison Pipeline with Race, Criminal & Education Law,” Sarah Buel, Arizona State University, Wasserstein Hall 3019

The school-to-prison pipeline lies at the confluence of race, criminal, and education law as indigent youth of color are disproportionately harmed by arrest for minor disciplinary infractions, and excessive suspensions and expulsions. This panel will present an innovative response to prevent some consequences of the school-to-prison pipeline, by having law students train indigent youth how to be judge, defense, prosecutor, juror, bailiff, and clerk. The result is to reduce rates of recidivism, suspension, and expulsion, while also decreasing discipline problems in the classroom and dropout rates.

10:45am – 11:45am: “Race, Gender & Class Advocacy in Law School: Student Perspectives,” Wasserstein Hall 3019

11:50am – 12:20pm: Closing Remarks, Margaret Barry, Vermont Law School, Wasserstein Hall 3019

This closing session will touch on some conference highlights and engage with participants on how aspects of our time together will impact our service and student learning goals.

For questions regarding the conference, please contact Sabi Ardalan (sardalan@law.harvard.edu) or Laila Hlass (hlass@bu.edu)

This conference is sponsored by CLEA and AALS.

Lodging/Accommodations near Harvard Law School (rates will vary)

Hotels

Sheraton Commander Hotel (closest to HLS)
16 Garden Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Main: 617-547-4800
Fax: 617-868-8322
Reservations: 800-535-5007
email: sales@shreratoncommander.com

The Charles Hotel (short walking distance)
One Bennett Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
617-864-1200
617-864-5715

Fairmont Copley Plaza (4.2 miles; cab, bus or subway)
138 St. James Avenue
Boston, MA 02116
617-267-5300

Harvard Square Hotel (short walking distance)
110 Mt. Auburn Street
Cambridge, MA, 2138
617-864-5200
617-864-2409

Best Western Hotel Tria (1.7 miles; bus or subway)
220 Alewife Brook Parkway
Cambridge, MA, 2138
Phone: 617-491-8000 or 866-333-TRIA

Doubletree Guest Suites Boston (1.8 miles; bus or cab)
400 Soldiers Field Road
Boston, Massachusetts 02134
Phone: 617-783-0090
Fax: 617-783-0897

The Hotel Veritas (1.5 miles)
One Remington Street
Cambridge, MA 02128
Phone: 617-520-5000

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Boston-Cambridge (2.9 miles; bus or cab)
250 Monsignor O'Brien Highway
Cambridge, MA 02141
Phone: 617-577-7600
Fax: 617-354-1313

Bed and Breakfasts

A Friendly Inn at Harvard (walking distance)
1673 Cambridge St.
Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone: 617-547-7851
Fax: 617-547-0202

A Bed & Breakfast in Cambridge (walking distance)
1657 Cambridge Street #3
Cambridge, MA 02138-4316
617-868-7082 or 800-795-7122

Irving House (walking distance)
24 Irving Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone: 617-547-4600
Fax: 617-576-2814

The Mary Prentiss Inn (1.5 miles, bus or subway)
6 Prentiss Street
Cambridge, MA 02140
Phone: 617-661-2929
Fax: 617-661-5989

A Cambridge House (1.8 miles, bus)
2218 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA, 02140
617-491-6300 ; 800-232-9989
Fax:617-868-2848
Rates: $99-290