The Law Professor and the Therapist: Beyond Belonging There’s a Place (and Need) for Group Solidarity among First Generation and Low-Income Students in the Law School Setting
Monday, December 5, 2022, 12:00-1:00 EST
On Zoom: https://rwu.zoom.us/j/94443107446
Meeting ID: 944 4310 7446
Presented by:
Monica Teixeira de Sousa
Professor of Law
Roger Williams University School of Law
“Lawyers belong to the people by birth and interest, and to the aristocracy by habit and taste; they may be looked upon as the connecting link of the two great classes of society.”
– Alexis de Tocqueville
America relies on the legal profession for resolution of society’s most pressing challenges. As such, basic principles of equity demand that the bench and bar include representation from all corners of American life, particularly from communities disconnected from traditional loci of power due to economic insecurity and poverty. A logical starting point, therefore, is legal education; the training ground and required prerequisite to the practice of law. The extent to which low-income and first-generation law students not only secure access to a legal education, but then experience a feeling of inclusion and belonging on campus and in the classroom, sets the stage for their development as a political class committed to advancing a set of common interests. The innovative law professor and therapist intervention advocated in Monica’s program provides a low-cost way to support and build solidarity among first-generation and low-income students in the law school setting.
Maximizing Law Student and Organization Benefits During Experiential Learning Placements
Tuesday, February 28, 2023, 12:00-1:00 p.m. EST
On Zoom: https://rwu.zoom.us/j/95248699437
Meeting ID: 952 4869 9437
Presented by:
Leah M. Nicholls
Co-Director of the Access to Justice Project at Public Justice
Leah litigates high-impact civil public interest cases at the trial and appellate levels, including cases involving access to courts, court secrecy, consumer protection, and Public Justice’s Food Project. She has briefed, argued, and won cases in state and federal appellate courts across the country and spoken at numerous national and state conferences on topics such as arbitration, class certification, standing, court secrecy, consumer protection, and ag-gag laws.