how to get a lawyer from the nlg

NLG-LA’s Weinglass Criminal Defense Committee may be able to help connect progressive activists in the LA region to pro bono or low bono criminal representation. Contact Matthew Strugar to make a request for activist representation: matthew@matthewstrugar.com FINDING A LAWYER:

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What does NLG do for law students?

Law students currently represent one-third of Guild membership and over 120 law schools have NLG chapters already established. Law students take part in every level of decision-making in the organization and are represented nationally by two elected student representatives.

How do I become an NLG legal observer®?

Legal Observer® trainings are held several times a year in various locations around the country. If you are interested in becoming an NLG Legal Observer®, contact your nearest chapter to find out about upcoming training sessions, or to schedule one for your chapter or school.

How do I contact the NLG National Membership Director?

If you do and do not hear back within a few days, email the National Membership Director at membership@nlg.org Interested in becoming more involved with the NLG but don’t have a chapter near you? Contact membership @nlg. org to learn about starting an NLG chapter in your area!

How do I start a NLG chapter?

NLG chapters are present in most cities and states, and students starting law school chapters should reach out to attorney and legal worker members nearby. Local NLG members are often great resources for students and can help move along the process of solidifying a new student chapter.

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When was the National Lawyers Guild established?

The National Lawyers Guild Legal Observer® program was established in 1968 in New York City in response to protests at Columbia University and city-wide antiwar and civil rights demonstrations. That same year, Guild students organized for the defense of people swept up in mass arrests at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

What is a legal observer?

Legal Observers® are typically, but not exclusively, law students, legal workers and lawyers who may or may not be licensed locally. Legal Observers® are trained and directed by Guild attorneys, who often have established attorney-client relationships with activist organizations, or are in litigation challenging police tactics at mass assemblies.

I need a lawyer. Can you recommend one?

NLG-LA does NOT provide attorney referrals. If you are looking for an attorney, here are websites designed to help you in your attorney search. We do NOT recommend or endorse the attorneys listed on these websites.

How do I request legal observers?

To request legal observers at your action or protest, please send a request as far in advance of the action as possible.

Are my donations to NLG-LA tax deductible?

To make a tax-deductible donation to our chapter, please write a check to the “National Lawyers Guild Foundation” and write in the memo line “For NLG-LA”. You can mail this check to our office address and we will forward the donation on to the NLG Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) corporation.

Can the NLG endorse my candidacy for political office?

The NLG-LA is a non-partisan organization and does not support or endorse political candidates.

What are the topics covered in the NLG?

Topics covered include the dominant legal career narrative, the psychological effects of law school, teaching and grading practices, barriers to legal education, tuition increases, law student debt, radical faculty and curriculum, contemplation and the law, starting and reviving NLG chapters, and advice for life as a new lawyer.

Why is the practice of law so stressful?

The practice of law is stressful for newer attorneys, because every task you’ve never completed before represents an opportunity to make a colossal mistake. Some newer attorneys, for example, resolve cases via settlements or plea deals when more seasoned attorneys might have taken the cases to trial in light of the last offers from opposing counsel. Not only do newer attorneys have little to no trial experience, making them hesitant to try cases, but their lack of trial experience can result in worse pretrial offers from the other side.

What are the most troubling implicit qualities of a lawyer?

One of the most troubling implicit qualities of a lawyer is alienation from other people. This was a universally mentioned aspect of law school among interviewees. While some had developed a few good friendships, in general they felt isolated from other people. The competition and anxiety push students apart and train us not to trust each other. Instead we try to figure out how to out-do others, and form small cliques of friends who “can have our backs.”

What is the effect of law school?

The overall effect of being in law school is to isolate students from their values and from each other and to reframe social, ethical, and political issues in the dry and obtuse language of the law.

What was the first thing I lost in law school?

“The first thing I lost in law school was the reason that I came.” –Unnamed Law Student, as told to Bill Quigley in “Letter to a Law Student Interested in Social Justice.” [i]

Why do people go to law school?

The reasons students come to law school are often replaced with the generic priorities of law school (e.g. grades, getting on journals, high status internships). This is more pronounced in students who have spent less time defining themselves, their passions and their ideals. Students who come to law school with a sense of how they will fit into the lawyer role are able to reject the parts they do not like and maintain the valuable aspects of themselves that law school suppresses. Students who have more knowledge about themselves, who have a clear conception of who they are and why they want a law degree are more resilient in the face of the pressures of the atmosphere at law schools. Unfortunately, most law schools do not offer much guidance or opportunity for the development of self-knowledge.

How can mindfulness help in legal education?

The incorporation of contemplation, mindfulness, and meditative practices into legal education and the legal profession can help to alleviate and manage the inevitable stress of a legal career. By setting aside time for quiet and reflective practice, law students, attorneys, and legal workers can improve their physical and mental health, process negative emotions, increase their ability to handle stress, and even assist clients. Law schools that are interested in these methods should work together to create the space and time to hold meditation sessions and trainings and tap into the emerging contemplation and the law movement.

What is legal group plan?

Employers or unions set up a fund to pay the employees’ legal fees, with the employee sometimes contributing a small co-payment. Legal group plans have become much more widespread in recent years. Some retail department stores and credit card companies even offer such plans to their customers.

Do legal aid offices have their own lawyers?

Some legal aid offices have their own staff lawyers, and others operate with volunteer lawyers. Note that people do not have a right to a free lawyer in civil legal matters. I have been accused of a crime, and I cannot afford a lawyer.