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Special Initiatives

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In addition to core programs, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law  pursues its mission through the following special initiatives:
Civil Rights Legal Education Program

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law’s Civil Rights Legal Education Program

Mid adult African American businesswoman is smiling while attending business conference. She is listening to speaker in seminar while she sits in a row with other diverse professional businesspeople. Woman is wearing business casual clothing and is taking notes. She's drinking a cup of coffee.
Legal education, seminars, workshops and professional business training programs for the legal, educational and business communities.

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law’s Civil Rights Legal Education special initiative offers continuing legal education, seminars, workshops and professional business training programs for the legal, educational and business communities.  It is committed to providing the legal community and allied professionals with training on important civil rights topics, including new developments and emerging barriers, and is tailored to meet the needs of new attorneys and experienced legal professionals.  The Program’s speakers bureau includes seasoned members of the civil rights bar and members of the Lawyers’ Committee’s Board of Directors and Trustees, which include some of the most prominent members of the private bar.

Since its founding in 1963, the Lawyers’ Committee has pursued fairness and equality by engaging in litigation, advocacy and public education on issues relating to fair housing, employment discrimination, economic justice, education, voting rights, community development and criminal justice.   Grounded in this fifty plus years of experience, the Program will provide legal professionals and others with robust programming on some of the most important civil rights issues of the day.  Programs will draw on the Lawyers’ Committee’s experience in developing litigation, advocacy and public education, and will also seize on new trends and developments in case law, Supreme Court cases, policy developments, new guidance and other areas that shape and influence the state of civil rights law today.

A list of some Civil Rights Legal Programs currently available for your firm or business include:

  • The Status of Voting Rights in America and its Impact on the 2016 Election Cycle
  • Overview of Core Civil Rights Cases on the U.S. Supreme Court’s Docket in the Upcoming Term
  • Addressing the Resurgence of Debtors’ Prisons and the Criminalization of Poverty
  • Strategies for Promoting and Furthering Fair Housing Opportunities in Communities Today
  • Examination of Racial Disparities that Persist Within Public School Systems
  • An Overview of Barriers to Reentry Faced by People with Criminal Histories and the Interplay for Employers
  • Developing Appropriate Strategies to Address Implicit Bias in the Workplace

Working with Board members, their firm’s Continuing Legal Education (CLE) departments and pro bono counsel, the Lawyers’ Committee will identify and tailor programs based on the particular need of the firm. Programs will likely extend between 1 to 1 ½ hours in length. Certain programs may be broadcast to other offices and/or available to corporate clients or members of the bar.  In addition, a firm may identify issues they have worked on enabling their lawyers to present along with the Lawyers’ Committee expert staff.

To schedule a program for your firm or for more information, please contact Nancy Anderson, Director of Pro Bono, at nanderson@lawyerscommittee.org or 202-662-8354.  The Lawyers’ Committee remains committed to securing equal justice for all and looks forward to working with your firm.

Election Protection

For close to two decades, the Lawyers’ Committee has led Election Protection-the nation’s largest non-partisan voter protection coalition. Made up of more than 100 local, state and national partners, Election Protection provides assistance and information to voters through state of the art hotlines like 1-866-OUR-VOTE and comprehensive voter protection field programs across the country in order to ensure that all eligible voters have an equal opportunity to participate in our democracy.

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Judicial Diversity Initiative

Executive Nominations

Nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions to serve as United States Attorney General

Nomination of Betsy Devos to serve as United States Secretary of Education

Nomination of Dr. Ben Carson to serve as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

Supreme Court Nominations

Nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to serve on the Supreme Court

Lawyers’ Committee Releases Report Evaluating Supreme Court Nominee Judge Merrick Garland’s Full Record on Civil Rights Cases and Issues Statement to U.S. Senate Urging Immediate Hearing and a Vote.

Lawyer’s Committee Statement on President’s Nomination of Chief Judge Merrick Garland to United States Supreme Court.

National Lawyers’ Committee Reacts to Past 100 Days of Inaction by Senate Majority to Fill the Vacant U.S. Supreme Court Seat.  Click here for the statement.

Nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to serve on the Supreme Court

Judge Neil Gorsuch – Fact Sheet

Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Issues Response to President’s Nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the United States Supreme Court.  Click here for the statement.

Nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to serve on the Supreme Court

Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Issues Response to President’s Nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court.  Click here for the statement.

Judicial Diversity

The Judicial Diversity Program seeks to improve the judicial system through increased representation from people of diverse backgrounds working on the judicial bench. The American Bar Association has cited the need to attain greater diversity in the judiciary, and to prove systematic, structured advisory support to the judiciary.  This program seeks to satisfy that need.

The Lawyers’ Committee works toward the goal of judicial diversity in three ways:

  1. A mentorship and networking program for attorneys and law students who might be interested in joining the bench.
  2. Educating the public on the benefits of increased diversity on the bench.
  3. Advocating for structural reforms to increase transparency and accountability in the judicial selection process.

Currently, the Lawyers’ Committee’s judicial diversity work is focused on programs in Washington and North Carolina.

Please visit our resources page for research, guidebooks, and general information on judicial diversity.

The Know Your Rights Initiative

The Know Your Rights (KYR) initiative is a formalized partnership with the National Bar Association.

KYR seeks to mobilize members of the private bar to serve as legal observers and provide individual-level representation for protesters who are detained or arrested during mass demonstrations against police misconduct. KYR brochures have been created for Atlanta, Baton Rouge, and Washington, D.C. We believe that citizens should be free to exercise their first amendment rights and provided with the support needed to engage in protests and demonstrations.

KYR Brochures

Parental Readiness and Empowerment Program

The Parental Readiness and Empowerment Program (PREP) seeks to improve K-12 student performance, retention, and access to equal educational opportunities. We serve low-income and minority children in targeted communities by increasing parental engagement in education and ensuring that parents become successful advocates for their children. Our goal is for every child to have meaningful access to a quality education.

Visit Parental Readiness and Empowerment Program