The Syracuse University College of Law, in conjunction with the Association of American Law Schools, held its Equal Justice Colloquium on March 21-22, 2001. On Wednesday evening, March 21, 2001, the College of Law held a wine and cheese reception for out-of-town Equal Justice Colloquium speakers, local colloquium organizers and law clinic directors. They were joined at the reception by AALS Executive Director, Carl Monk. A dinner in the College of Law Faculty Lounge followed the reception. In addition to a much-spirited discussion, the dinner provided organizers with the opportunity to update the out-of-town speakers on the program for the following day, give them packets of relevant materials, and ask for suggestions for conducting the facilitated break-out groups.

The colloquium was a highlight of the College of Law’s theme for the year, “Lawyering for Social Justice”. Syracuse’s colloquium explored "Law Schools’ Responsibilities for Social Justice." Over 60 people pre-registered for the conference and others dropped in and out during the day as their academic schedules permitted. Representing the AALS were Professor (and former Dean) Carl Monk, Executive Director of the Association of American Law Schools, and Brenda V. Smith, Associate Professor at the American University, Washington College of Law and a member of the AALS Equal Justice Initiative Steering Committee.

After an informal breakfast and introductions, a panel of three experts outlined different approaches to enabling law schools to meet their responsibilities for creating equal access to the legal system and social justice. Stephanie Wildman, Visiting Professor of the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and Director of the Boalt Hall Social Justice Center, began the panel by describing her work in that center. The center provides a central place to coordinate the law faculty and law school community members (students, staff, practitioners) who work on social justice matters. The Center sponsors regular social justice speakers from legal academia and practitioners; conducts social justice reading groups for first year and other law students; organizes sections of the law school curriculum; and is developing a certificate program. Professor Wildman encouraged interested participants to check out their website at http://www.law. berkeley.edu/institutes/csj/.

Deborah Howard, Director of the Law School Consortium Project, was the second presenter. She spoke about the various ways in which law schools have created networks and resources to support the social justice work of sole and small firm practitioners. The Consortium Project, funded by the Soros Foundation, creates clearinghouses of information for social justice practitioners, including information about substantive law, procedure, office and case management, and uses of technology. Ms. Howard explained how something as simple as creating an e-mail listserv for social justice practitioners begins the process of networking and providing support systems for people who want to do social justice work, but feel that they do not have the resources. Ms. Howard also encouraged interested people to view the Law School Consortium Project's website at http://www.lawschoolconsortium.net/.

The final presenter on the panel, Professor Stephen Wizner, long-time Yale Law School Clinic Director, asked conference participants to consider following Yale's example by establishing post-graduate fellowships for law students who want to work in the public interest when they graduate. He also described how he teaches students to write concrete business plans to present to potential law firm employers, illustrating to those employers how associates in their firms can include pro bono work as a portion of their regular case load without jeopardizing the bottom line of the firm. Each panelist presented a unique aspect of how law schools can promote social justice work for both students and faculty. Dean Braveman moderated a lively question and answer session after the panel.

After the panel, the conference convened smaller working, break-out groups to brainstorm about the ideas presented and other creative ways that Syracuse University College of Law could promote social justice for under-served and under-represented communities

After a boxed luncheon for registrants, keynote speaker, Professor Lucie White of the Harvard Law School, spoke to conference participants about how "guarding borders" may end up being the antithesis of working for social justice. Professor White explained how borders can serve as a metaphor for physical borders between nations (or even hemispheres) as well as for limits of eligibility for public services or minimum standards of living. Her argument was that despite the ways we convince ourselves that borders are necessary and must be maintained for security or to protect our standard of living, they are in fact pernicious. Each time we "guard our borders," White explained, we deny justice and access to some people in favor of others, perpetuating global and local injustices.

The keynote address was followed by another series of break-out sessions. After the second break-out groups, where participants met with different facilitators and different attendees, the conference reconvened for a plenary session. Reporters from each of the break-out groups shared their group's suggestions for concrete ways in which Syracuse can meet its responsibility for promoting social justice. Suggestions included:

• making curriculum changes, including adding more social justice course and clinics
• creating a social justice center
• designing a certificate program for social justice “majors”
• creating networks with Legal Services and local practitioners
• instituting regular discussions with and by social justice practitioners
• establishing loan forgiveness programs
• setting up a student advisory board to make improvements to the GO program
• creating a separate physical space for students interested in social justice issues
• developing post-graduate fellowships for social justice work
• making the law school library resources available to social justice practitioners
• creating a clearinghouse of briefs and memoranda of law to share with social justice practitioners.

Conference organizers used technology to create a visual of all of the suggestions at the concluding plenary. The list will be distributed to conference registrants.

Following the colloquium, and motivated in particular by the Law School Consortium Project model, Syracuse’s Executive Director of Legal Services, the Pro Bono Coordinator for the local Bar Association, the Executive Director of the Lawyers' Referral Service, and the Associate Dean of the College of Law began a series of meetings designed to form a resource network to support regional sole and small-firm practitioners who need assistance providing legal services to traditionally under-served and unrepresented populations in the region. Once the project is further along, the Syracuse cohort plans to re-contact Deborah Howard and see if they can join the Law School Consortium Project.

All in all, the Syracuse University College of Law Equal Justice Colloquium was a huge success. Many people both inside and outside the law school left the colloquium energized in their missions to work for social justice and equal access to a fair legal system.

Information about the program is available. View more information on the Syracuse Colloquium.

You may also contact one of the local planners listed below:

Leslie Bender
Syracuse University College of Law
Syracuse, NY 13244
(315) 443-4462
lbender@law.syr.edu

Arlene S. Kanter
Syracuse University College of Law
Syracuse, NY 13244
(315) 443-2525
kantera@law.syr.edu