Edward V. Sparer Public Interest Law Forum: Movement Lawyering: Activism Beyond the Legal License

About the Forum

Today, the United States faces some of the starkest challenges it has confronted in its 250-year history. Constitutional law experts and mainstream news organizations alike are declaring the country to be in the midst of a constitutional crisis. Marginalized groups have been sounding the alarm over new federal policies that seek to turn back the progress toward inclusion that we have made. It is, to say the very least, a time of dramatic change for the country. This panel of activists will discuss strategies to address these unprecedented challenges, including building intersectional coalitions and amplifying the agency of those who have been historically excluded from shaping the laws that govern us. In this crucial discussion, we examine how movement lawyering is a tool for confronting systemic oppression, dismantling white supremacy, and challenging the gatekeeping that has long restricted access to legal expertise.

Panelists:

Joanne Grell, Community Action for Safe Apartments (CASA)

Simmi Kaur, Senior Staff Attorney, Youth Represent

Joyce McMillan, Founder and Executive Director, Just Making A Change for Families (JMACforFamilies)

Sarah Medina Camiscoli, Assistant Professor of Law, Rutgers Law School Newark & Co-Founder, Peer Defense Project

Samah Sisay, Staff Attorney, Center for Constitutional Rights

Moderators: Gabrielle Avellaneda ’25, Caroline Cohen ’25, Marina Khan ’26, Maryam Salmanova ’27

Sponsored by the Edward V. Sparer Public Interest Law Fellowship

Please join us for a reception following the program.

Please use the RSVP button to register by March 21.

The Edward V. Sparer Public Interest Law Fellowship Program

Brooklyn Law School alumnus Professor Edward V. Sparer was one of the leading poverty lawyers in this country. The Edward V. Sparer Public Interest Law Fellowship Program was established in 1986 to honor him and encourage law students and lawyers to carry on his legacy. Learn more about the Sparer Fellowship Program.

More Information

For general inquiries regarding this event, please contact the Brooklyn Law School Office of Events at events@brooklaw.edu or (718) 780-0321.

Requests for a reasonable accommodation based on a disability to attend this event should be made to the Law School’s reasonable accommodations coordinator: accommodations@brooklaw.edu. Please make your request at least 10 days before the event. We will do our best to address accommodation requests made after the 10 days.