Dear Volunteer Attorneys:

In the face of ongoing police violence and murders, the uprising for Black lives and a dismantling of white supremacy continues! This uprising has made space for conversations that weeks ago seemed unimaginable, including a national conversation around defunding the police, investing in communities, and divesting from prisons and jails.

A big thank you to those of you who participated in Legal Observer trainings with the National Lawyers Guild and to those of you who attended our Movement Lawyering Training with the Detroit Justice Center. We’re inspired and heartened by the outpouring of support.

We’re writing today to announce our Volunteer Attorney Orientation which will take place this Saturday, June 20th from 3:00 – 5:00 pm on Zoom!

·  What: Volunteer Attorney Orientation 

·  When: Saturday, June 20th from 3:00 – 5:00 pm

·  Where: Zoom info will be emailed

o Register by clicking here

The first 35 minutes of this orientation will be a recorded presentation on Movement Lawyering given by Amanda Alexander, founding Executive Director of the Detroit Justice Center. This training provides critical information about the ways volunteer opportunities to represent protestors may differ from traditional criminal defense. If you attended the Movement Lawyering training on June 11th, you do not need to attend the first 30 minutes of Saturday’s orientation. However, if you did not attend on June 11th, we strongly encourage you to join the orientation at 3 pm. Register by clicking here

After the Movement Lawyering portion of the orientation, we will review the team structure developed by our coalition and invite volunteers to sign up for areas of work they’re interested in (this will be done through a GoogleForm link that we will provide in the Zoom chat).  Teams include: 1. Criminal Representation; 2. Legal Research 3. Repression Response (aka what to do if the FBI/LEO knocks); 4. Trainings Team (Know Your Rights, Movement Lawyering, Qualified Immunity, etc.); 5. Arrestee Debrief/Hotline; 6. Jail Visit; 7. Arrestee Organizing.

NOTE TO THOSE WHO ATTENDED THE JUNE 11th MOVEMENT LAWYERING TRAINING : For volunteer attorneys who attended the Movement Lawyering Training on June 11th, you’re invited to fill out this Team Sign-Up Form where you will find more info about the teams and indicate which team you’re interested in joining. Additionally, you are not required to attend Saturday’s orientation. However, you’re welcome and encouraged to attend as a team leader from each team will speak briefly about their team’s structure, work and next steps.

PATIENCE & FLEXIBILITY: This is constantly shifting and evolving work. We ask for patience and flexibility as we work to support this historic uprising for Black lives. It is possible that we won’t be able to utilize all volunteers or that some areas of work may not be needed. We thank you in advance for your understanding.

In Solidarity,

Detroit Defense Coalition (Det/MI National Lawyers Guild, Neighborhood Defender Service of Detroit, Wayne County Criminal Defense Bar Association, National Conference of Black Lawyers, Detroit Chapter, Detroit Justice Center)

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Are you interested in learning about future Legal Observer Trainings with the National Lawyers Guild? Click here to be added to our list and we’ll alert you regarding future training opportunities.