The past few months have been an amazing time for social justice movements and our Mass Defense Committee has been working overtime to provide needed legal support for activists.
We first want to acknowledge the high school, college and university students who are on the front lines. All across our state, as well as the rest of the country, student … Read more>>
The Litigation Committee continues to fight for systemic change, advancing a number of matters against law enforcement entities and large corporate entities.
Our action against the Boston Police Department (BPD) for their intransigence has resulted in an award of $40,000 in legal fees. After almost three years of obstruction and obfuscation by Boston Police in acquiring records regarding BPD’s response, or lack thereof, during … Read more>>
On Saturday, September 7th, law students from Northeastern U., Boston U., UMass Darmouth, New England Law Boston, and Harvard U. came together with NLG-Mass Chapter Executive Director Urszula Masny-Latos at Andala Café in Cambridge to drink mint tea and strategize over falafels. Urszula introduced NLG’s mission to the students and outlined ways to get involved. She discussed opportunities to shadow ongoing work regarding surveillance of activists and criminal defense for pro-Palestinian activists. Additionally, she encouraged students to intern in the upcoming year and highlighted past interns’ research as foundational … Read more>>
NLG-Mass Chapter is organizing a Field Program training with Sophia Hall of Lawyers for Civil Rights to prepare election observers!
There are a lot of ways to volunteer your time on Election Day. Our program is the nation’s largest nonpartisan effort and with your help we will ensure that thousands of voters are able to cast a meaningful ballot. … Read more>>
What is SJP
Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) is a national organization with chapters across many different universities in the United States. It was founded on the idea of promoting liberation, justice, human rights, and self-determination for the Palestinian people on college campuses. SJP values exist to resist all forms of racism, discrimination, and violence. At UMass Lowell, we … Read more>>
In July, our Chapter members gathered in Cambridge for the Annual Summer Retreat. The day was beautiful, food was tasty, and the company was quite engaged in discussing our current affairs and what’s ahead of us. We spent a lot of time listening to our students and discussing ways to effectively maintain our relationships with NLG student chapters and what … Read more>>
A media campaign by the Palestine Advocacy Project has faced extraordinary pushback from the MBTA as well as private companies in the Boston area that appear determined to keep the organization’s messages from reaching the public.
The Palestine Advocacy Project, a group that creates public media and education campaigns about the Palestinian struggle, launched a mass media awareness campaign in … Read more>>
In September of 2023, the Cape Cod chapter of the Democratic Socialist of America (DSA) contacted NLG-Mass Chapter for legal advice on a tenant organizing issue. The tenants in question were veterans and families of veterans living in a repurposed motel in Sandwich, MA, that was operating under the name of the “Liberty Lodge.” As was covered in the in … Read more>>
Great news from that Litigation Committee, as we continue to advance a number of matters against law enforcement entities and large corporate entities.
Thanks to stellar efforts from lead counsel David Kelston and Jeff Petrucelly, we received a decision from Judge Cowin granting a significant amount of attorneys’ fees and costs after hearing on our Motion for Attorney Fees in … Read more>>
UMass Law NLG has had an incredibly productive summer, and we anticipate a fall semester full of meaningful opportunities for public service! First and most notably, UMass Law NLG was selected to participate in NLG’s national conference in Birmingham. Our panel will consist of law school students and administrators drawing from their unique experiences to deconstructing barriers to law school education … Read more>>
The NLG’s 2024 #Law4ThePeople Convention will take place at the Hilton Birmingham Downtown at UAB, in Birmingham, AL on Wednesday, October 30 – Sunday, November 3, 2024! Join hundreds of legal professionals, scholars, and activists for five days of interactive CLEs, workshops, and panels by members of the oldest and most progressive public-interest bar association in the country.
This year, … Read more>>
The Litigation Committee maintains the fight on multiple fronts, thanks mostly to the work of our gallant committee members.
We are still waiting on a decision from Judge Colin after the hearing of our Motion for Attorney Fees in the Suffolk Superior Court. David Kelston and Jeff Petrucelly made well-crafted and supported arguments for NLG, aided by Jonathan Messinger and … Read more>>
by Jeff Feuer
As the slaughter of mainly women and children civilians in Gaza continues, repression of student protests calling for an immediate ceasefire, divestment from arms manufacturers, cutting of ties with the Israeli government, and other remedial measures has increased at Massachusetts colleges and universities, both public and private. Students have faced immediate suspensions from their school without being … Read more>>
Coordinating LOs at the Tufts encampment was often a question of risk management and vigilance. This was one of the longest campus lived-encampments, going from April 7th to May 3, 2024. It wasn’t uncommon to watch a high-tension situation for hours – or for that matter a low-tension situation – waiting to see if we should change the … Read more>>
In the early morning hours of April 27, 2024, the sun rose over Centennial Common at Northeastern University, throwing early morning light onto a scene that harkens back to the fateful hours leading up to the Kent State massacre over fifty years ago. Northeastern students had occupied Centennial Common with tents, chairs, plastic tables, and … Read more>>
As was reported at the NLG-Mass Chapter’s Annual Meeting in January, the NLG and the Massachusetts chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MA) created an ad hoc task force to address the needs of activists facing sanctions for supporting Palestinian human rights. The NLG had set up a Protest Legal Support Hotline in October, in response to the intense … Read more>>
What is CAIR-MA and what services does it provide?
Assalamu alaykum! Thank you for asking!
CAIR-MA is the Massachusetts chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization. We are a small but passionate non-profit dedicated to protecting the rights of Muslims in Massachusetts. In terms of our legal work, we provide … Read more>>
Q & A with I.O.N.’s Co-Founders: Tyler Daguerre, Dave Runkle, and Nick Adams
1. Will you please provide a brief summary of the mission/purpose of I.O.N.?
To support independent union organizing campaigns by developing comprehensive networks of legal support, educational resources, and trainings to empower workers to know their rights, efficiently navigate administrative and legal systems, and feel confident in … Read more>>
The relationship between MIT Scientists Against Genocide (SAGE) and the NLG started with care and trust.
The MIT populace, compared to its neighbors with law schools, did not have much experience with the National Lawyers Guild, let alone any familiarity with what Legal Observers do. However, after witnessing the raids at Emerson and Northeastern, students from … Read more>>
The Litigation Committee has been ramping up the battle on a number of fronts, thanks to the work of our committee members.
On April 26, our pursuit of transparency from the Boston Police Department and BRIC resulted in the hearing of our Motion for Attorney Fees before Judge Cowin in the Suffolk Superior Court. David Kelston and Jeff Petrucelly made … Read more>>
Jane Romp (she/her) is the Administrative Coordinator for the NLG-Mass Chapter. Before joining NLG, Jane worked with Common Cause Massachusetts, the Foundation for Civic Leadership, and performed research on the impact of protest-based social movements for Oxford University. She is currently producing a documentary uplifting survivors of sexual violence while investigating the role of gender bias in the handling attorney … Read more>>
1. What motivated you to go to law school?
I was an anti-war, racial justice and political activist and in 1972 was part of a women’s prison collective that visited and supported the women incarcerated at the Framingham prison. We worked closely with Lawyers’ Guild lawyers who were part of a law … Read more>>
Speakers: Luca Falciola (author of “Up Against the Law”), Professor Randall Kennedy, Judy Somberg, and Roger Geller… Read more>>
“Government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example […]. If the Government becomes a lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy.” These prescient and powerful words written in dissent almost 100 years ago by Justice Louis … Read more>>
