The 2011 Northeast Regional Conference

By Lindsay Vick

Massachusetts members in session at the Regional Convention.

The Roger Williams University School of Law student chapter of the NLG (RWUNLG) started off strong during the 2011 spring semester hosting a number of events, including the 2011 NLG Northeast Regional Conference held April 1-3. The conference takes place in the Northeast region every couple of years and is hosted by a regional law school. This year, the Region recognized the emergent energy and activism of the RWUNLG student chapter and chose RWU as this year’s host. The theme for the conference focused on deconstructing misconceptions surrounding the concept of activist lawyering; thus, the conference was aptly titled, “Ready, Represent, Radicalize! Demystifying the Dominant Ideology for Activists.” Over 50 people were in attendance, including law students from RWU, Western New England College, Vermont, and Harvard. Also in attendance were attorneys and practitioners from Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York, and Connecticut.

The Conference kicked off with a welcome reception at Redlefsen’s in Bristol, RI, where we enjoyed delicious hors d’oeuvres and the opportunity to socialize with other likeminded activists. Not content with ending the night at 9 p.m., the conference attendees continued the evening at Wood Street Café, and contributed to a karaoke event which was raising proceeds to benefit Rhode Island Legal Services.

Consistent with the theme of deconstructing misconceptions surrounding activist lawyers, topics for the conference included: juvenile immigration, workers’ compensation and immigration, drug prohibition, revolutions in the Middle East, domestic terrorism, land reform in Venezuela, labor unions and workers’ rights, and the anti-war movement. The weekend culminated with a keynote address from Lizzy Ratner and Philip Weiss, who are co-editors of The Goldstone Report: The Legacy of the Landmark Investigation of the Gaza Conflict. This presentation concerning recent revolutions in the Middle East and their impact on Palestine engaged the audience and stimulated further discussions about international law, political will, and social justice.

The conference concluded with a brunch on Sunday morning where the attendees convened to reflect on their experience over the weekend. The general sentiment about the conference was very positive, and many attendees commented that they gained a deeper understanding of legal and social justice issues. Despite having little time to plan the conference and being a new student NLG chapter, the RWUNLG pulled off an immense achievement during its first active semester.

Jump-starting the RWUNLG

One weekend in October of 2010, several members of the Massachusetts Chapter of the Guild joined law students at RWU for a discussion about the Guild and how to start a Guild student chapter. Student attendance at this discussion was substantial given that it was a beautiful, fall Saturday afternoon. After that day, a group of seven students decided to found the first NLG student chapter at RWU. The structure of the RWUNLG board is unique in that it is non-hierarchal with each member acting equally as an Executive Councilmember.

During the 2010-2011 school year our chapter hosted a number of events, including a panel discussion about immigration with Aviva Chomsky, a discussion on the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act with Odette Wilkens, and, of course, the 2011 NLG Regional Conference. Hopefully, the momentum with the new chapter will continue and student interest will remain strong. Also, we plan to partner with other local law schools, such as the new UMass School of Law, to assist local communities in southern Massa-chusetts and in Rhode Island.

Lindsay Vick is a 2L student at Roger Williams University School of Law and co-founder of the RWUNLG student chapter.