Martin Luther King Jr. Teach-in

Register

UCI Law is excited to bring together a community of justice-minded individuals for an in-person opportunity to learn and discuss current issues in public interest law. This year the MLK, Jr. Teach-In will look both at the history of public interest law in areas of human rights and civil liberties, and will also look to the future of justice work in areas impacting vulnerable communities. Special thanks to the following student organizations for hosting breakout sessions:  Black Law Students Association, Environmental Law Society, Labor & Work Society, Movement Lawyering Group, National Lawyers Guild, and the Police Misconduct Pro Bono Project.
 
The reception following the panels will bring together attendees in an outdoor setting to continue conversations about justice in our community and beyond.
 
MCLE credit will be available for members of the California Bar. Speakers have yet to be announced.

8:30 - 9:00 a.m.: Registration Open 

·        Coffee and refreshments available


I. 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.: Plenary Panel: New Horizons in Public Interest Law 

·        Moderated by Austen Parrish, Dean, UCI Law

·        Brian Hardingham (’12), Senior Attorney with the Debtors' Prison Project at Public Justice

·        Alisa Hartz (’12), Counsel at Office of Youth and Community Restoration at California Health & Human Services

·        Jonathan Markovitz (’14), ACLU SoCal Free Expression and Access to Government Attorney

·        Rodney Leggett (’19), Director of Litigation at Housing Rights Center

·        Eric Vera (’16), Deputy Public Defender at Orange County Public Defender’s Office

 
II. 10:15 - 11:15 a.m.: Breakout Session 1 (please select one option)

A. The California Racial Justice for All Act: The Law, its Possibilities and Challenges
Jointly organized by UCI Law National Lawyers Guild & Movement Lawyering groups

·        Sean Garcia Leys (’16), Co-Executive Director at Peace and Justice Law Center

·        Abby Taylor, Senior Deputy Public Defender at Orange County Public Defender’s Office

B. Environmental Justice: Land Use Failures and Toxic Substance Exposures in Communities of Color
Organized by the UCI Law Environmental Law Society

·        Jacob Basta (’25), Student Board Member, UCI Law Environmental Law Society

·        Isabella Coye (’24), Student Board Member, UCI Law Environmental Law Society

·        Dan Straus (’25), Student Board Member, UCI Law Environmental Law Society

·        Vanessa Vasquez (’25), Student Board Member, UCI Law Environmental Law Society

C. International Human Rights and Social Justice

·        Paul Hoffman, Professor of Law, UCI Law


III. 11:30a.m. - 12:30 p.m.: Breakout Session 2 (please select one option)

A. Generative A.I. & Impacts on African-American Creators 
Organized by UCI Law Black Law Students Association

·        Kevin Greene, John J. Schumacher Chair & Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School

B. Police Misconduct – Know Your Rights & Remedies
Organized by UCI Law Police Misconduct Pro Bono Project

·        Introduction by Annie Wang (’24), Student Leader, UCI Law Police Misconduct Pro Bono Project

·        Paul Hoffman, Professor of Law, UCI Law

C. Effects & Momentum of Labor Movements
Organized by UCI Law Labor & Work Society

·         Moderated by T.J. Mertikas (’24), Student Board Member, UCI Law Labor & Work Law Society

·        Ashley Michel Flores, Organizer for LAANE (Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy)

·        Rich McCracken, Senior Counsel at McCracken Stemerman & Holsberry LLP

·        Jordan Palmer, Attorney with UNITE HERE Local 11 and Strippers United



12:30 - 1:30 p.m.: Reception for attendees - light refreshments will be served in the UCI Law Courtyard.

School of Law | Website | View More Events

Law Events

Contact the organizers