(Click to download the series poster)

The 2006 Elizabeth J. Cabraser Summer Brown Bag Lecture Series in Public Interest Law
Hosted by The Legal Aid Society - Employment Law Center
Co-sponsored by the Asian American Bar Association - Civil Rights Committee

NEW LOCATION EACH WEEK!
(check each listing for details)

Bring your lunch and join us for the 24th season of our summer presentations on a variety of current issues in public interest law. Light refreshments will be provided. This year, we are celebrating our 90th Anniversary. We are honored to have the lectures hosted by a sampling of San Francisco's private firms that have for decades generously supported the LAS-ELC's work and the public interest community as a whole.

All lectures are from 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm.

The LAS-ELC is a California MCLE approved provider; each lecture is approved for 1.5 hours of MCLE credit. Light refreshments will be provided. All presentations are free, wheelchair accessible, and open to the public. Interpretive services (ASL, captioning, English/Spanish, English/Cantonese) will be provided upon 72 hours notice. For further information, call 415-864-8848, TTY: 415-593-0091.


June 6
Local Hiring in East Palo Alto: A Redevelopment Success Story
Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLP
275 Battery Street - 29th Floor Conference Room
Julian Gross | Attorney
Marie McKenzie | Redevelopment Manager, East Palo Alto

Since large-scale redevelopment began in 1995, the economically troubled city of East Palo Alto has required all employers in its redevelopment projects to commit to a "first source" hiring process. The program - crafted with the advice and counsel of community advocates and non-profit lawyers - is designed to draw workers from a pool of low-income residents, and includes a critical job-training component. With a strong policy and committed implementation efforts, the city has secured more than 1,200 jobs for low-income residents, and has made considerable inroads upon its historically high unemployment rates.

June 13
Times of Crisis: How the Legal System Has Failed the Victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
Hanson, Bridgett, Marcus, Vlahos & Rudy, LLP
425 Market - Golden Gate Rooms I and II, 26th Floor
William C. McNeill, III | Managing Attorney, The LAS-ELC
Kimberly Thomas Rapp | Director of Law and Public Policy, Equal Justice Society
Steven Ronfeldt | Attorney, Public Interest Law Project

In the summer of 2005, hurricanes Katrina and Rita ripped through Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi. Among the strongest hurricanes ever recorded, they displaced more than one million people and caused an estimated $85 billion in damages. The government's lackluster response to the crises has been called one of the great tragedies of our time. Drawing upon their first-hand experiences working in the affected communities and litigating against the government, the panelists will discuss the legal realities facing victims today as well as the ongoing efforts to hold the federal government accountable for its inaction.

June 20
Speaking Out of Turn? Adventures in State Government Service
The LAS-ELC
600 Harrison Street, Suite 120
Miles Locker | Staff Attorney (former), California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement

Over the course of a 20+ year career as an attorney for the State of California, including a stint as Labor Commissioner, Miles Locker worked tirelessly to ensure that California workers enjoy the protection of the state's labor laws, including the rights to overtime pay and appropriate meal and rest breaks. Yet Locker was fired earlier this year - purportedly for criticizing the Schwarzenegger Administration's efforts to weaken these workplace protections - at a lawyers' luncheon last year. He will discuss the current state of labor and employment law in California, and reflect upon his life as a civil servant.

June 27
Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking: Tools for Action in Immigrant Communities
Heller Ehrman LLP - 333 Bush Street, Suite 3000
31st Floor, Room 3134/36
Ivy Lee | Attorney, API-Legal Outreach
Sutapa Balaji | Advocate, Narika

Recently enacted state and federal legislation promises to protect and help immigrant victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. The panelists will discuss the dynamics of domestic violence and human trafficking in immigrant communities, the range of relief available for victims, and the challenges victims face in their efforts to create safe and secure lives for themselves and their families.

July 11
Emerging Issues in California Family and Marriage Law: The Changing Landscape for LGBT Families
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
50 Fremont Street - Conference Room 624-8
Jenny Wald | Hersh Family Law Practice
Sherri Sokeland Kaiser | Deputy City Attorney

Dramatic developments are altering the legal landscape for lesbian and gay families in California. In August 2005, the California Supreme Court issued groundbreaking opinions in three cases ruling on the legal status of children born to same-sex parents. Also, it will soon hear consolidated cases challenging California's marriage laws, which currently prohibit same-sex marriage. Advocates and community groups are pursuing legislative action and enforcement of the state's domestic partnership legislation, which became effective last year. The panelists will review the law and share strategies.

July 18
Seeking Justice for Immigrants: Recent Developments in Immigrants' Rights
Steefel, Levitt & Weiss - One Embarcadero Center, 30th Floor, Conference Room A
Jayashri Srikantiah | Associate Professor of Law and Director, Immigrants' Rights Clinic, Stanford Law School
Mariana Bustamante | Public Education Coordinator, ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project
Jennifer Chang | Skadden Fellow, ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project

While activists promote mass mobilizations and legal reforms, attacks on immigrant communities intensify. Current legislative proposals affecting undocumented workers range from punitive criminal measures to legalization. The panelists will discuss the political context of the roiling debate, reflect on the impact of the 1996 anti-immigration laws, and explore realistic strategies for protecting and expanding immigrants' rights.

Wednesday, July 26
Supreme Court Review: Analysis and Discussion of the 2005-2006 Term Decisions
Pamela S. Karlan | Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Professor of Public Interest Law, and Associate Dean for Research and Academics, Stanford University
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP - The Orrick Building, 405 Howard Street
San Francisco Rooms North and South

The Supreme Court will have heard many novel issues this term including: the constitutionality of Texas' redistricting plan; what constitutes an "adverse" employment action for purposes of Title VII retaliation claims; whether Oregon's assisted suicide law violates the federal Controlled Substances Act; and the constitutionality of the New Hampshire parental notification act. Professor Karlan will review the Court's rulings, calling upon her experiences arguing before the Court, as well as her tenure as a professor of Constitutional Law and Director of the Supreme Court Litigation Clinic at Stanford. She will discuss the court's decisions and offer analyses regarding their effects on future litigation and legislation.

For further information about the speaker series or building accessibility, please contact
Elizabeth Kristen at ekristen@las-elc.org or Nan Cramer at ncramer@las-elc.org.