The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law stands on the front lines of some of the most pressing and complex civil rights problems, using litigation, public education and other advocacy tools to address discrimination, advance the law, and take defensive action when necessary to safeguard fragile gains. We were founded in 1963 when President Kennedy challenged attorneys of the private bar to take the fight for racial justice to the courts. More than 200 lawyers stepped up to form ... Mehr lesen
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law stands on the front lines of some of the most pressing and complex civil rights problems, using litigation, public education and other advocacy tools to address discrimination, advance the law, and take defensive action when necessary to safeguard fragile gains. We were founded in 1963 when President Kennedy challenged attorneys of the private bar to take the fight for racial justice to the courts. More than 200 lawyers stepped up to form the Lawyers’ Committee. We maintain a vast pro bono network and employ around 60 passionate attorneys, professionals, and organizers. Our mission remains to secure equal justice for all through the rule of law, targeting the inequities facing African Americans and communities of color.
In keeping with our model, annually donated pro bono hours increase our staff’s capacity. In 2017, pro bono law firms donated nearly 49,000 hours. We have expanded our approach to include public education and developing capacity-building networks with our national, state, and local partners. We interact with and understand the communities we serve by litigating with a community lawyering approach throughout the life of a case and post-litigation. Our organizing staff travels extensively, strengthening and developing our partnerships and flagging suppression attempts for our attorneys through communication pipelines forged with allies on the ground.
Our experts in each of our projects strive for cross-project collaboration opportunities to approach our work holistically. Our core projects are as follows:
• Criminal Justice: advances criminal justice reform, particularly around indigent incarceration and the criminalization of poverty.
• Economic Justice: challenges workplace discrimination and certain employment barriers. The project also collaborates with Cornell University and Outten & Golden LLP to help eligible individuals with expungements, records cleaning, and related education.
• Educational Opportunities: works to dismantle the school‐to‐prison pipeline, promote school integration, and challenge discriminatory discipline practices. The project’s Parental Readiness & Empowerment Program focuses on parent and school administrator engagement.
• Fair Housing & Community Development: works to enforce the Fair Housing Act and promote equitable, inclusive development, and access to resources and housing choice.
• Public Policy: advocates for the organization’s policy objectives. The project’s special initiatives focus on judicial diversity and intellectual property rights for creators of color.
• Stop Hate: strengthens the capacity of community leaders, law enforcement, and organizations to combat hate by connecting them to legal and social service resources.
• Voting Rights: uses litigation, advocacy, and education to protect voters’ rights and increase long-term civic engagement. We lead the national, nonpartisan Election Protection Coalition of over 100 local, state and national partners, and we manage the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline.
• Special Litigation & Advocacy: promotes cross-team collaboration and builds the organization’s capacity to take on new and pressing matters.
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