Guild Newspage 3

NLG Happy Hourpage 4

Mass Defense Committeepage 5

Litigation Committeepage 6

Street Law Clinicpage 7

Happy Hour & Lawyer ReferralService Reports

page 9

NLG Law Student Reportspage 10

Mass DissentDecember 2017 www.nlgmass.org Vol. 40, No. 6

Mass Chapter in Action - Review of 2017

December 2017 Page 1

We can collectively say that2017 has been a year of brutaland devastating challenges toour community: community ofradical lawyers, activists, andpeople fighting for justice andfreedom from oppression. Inthese times under the Era of 45,the Massachusetts Chapter ofthe National Lawyers Guild hasdoubled down on its efforts tosupport and defend radical andleftist movements throughoutthe state. Starting in January we facedthe Muslim travel ban enactedby the executive office. Andright there in Boston LoganAirport, NLG attorneys wereinvolved in both protesting theban and assisting detained trav-elers as they were trying to comehome. It was a turbulentJanuary as these airport protestsreinforced the real life battlesmarginalized and minoritygroups would face in the comingmonths and possibly years. What was most hearteningat this time was the over swell ofsupporters and activists thattruly wanted to be part of thefight for justice. The NLGMass Chapter received atremendous amount of calls ask-ing for support and individualsasking to be involved. Bothends were overflowing and the

members of the NLG MassChapter showed up tremendous-ly. The Chapter enlisted manyof its wonderful members toconduct trainings and legal clin-ics on Stop & Search, DirectAction, Housing Law, WorkersRights, Bankrupcy Law, andLegal Observing. At the sametime, last spring we offered aseries of trainings called Trainthe Trainers for interested NLGmembers, so they could laterconduct NLG trainings and clin-ics themselves. The trainingsincluded Stop & Search, ICEEncounters, and Direct Actionfor attorneys to then train andrun workshops for communitygroups seeking assistance. TheStreet Law Clinic, which facili-tates these trainings, has alsoexpanded at a staggering pace aswe have scheduled over 30 clin-ics partnered with communityorganizations this year. Both our most trying andmost inspiring moment may bestbe seen by looking back to theAugust 19th rally organized bylocal community membersagainst Nazi rhetoric in BostonCommon. We had over 25 legalobservers volunteer that day andthe Mass Defense Committeecollaborating with private andpublic criminal defense attor-

In This Edition

BOARD MEETING

December 20, 6:00 pm

14 Beacon St., 1st Fl.Boston

Massachusetts Chapter National Lawyers Guild 14 Beacon St., Boston, MA 02108

Continued on page 8

December 2017 Mass Dissent Page 2

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

CO-CHAIRPERSONSRebecca Amdemariam, CPCSCarl Williams, ACLU of Mass.

CHIEF FINANCIAL ADVISORSJennifer Norris, Petrucelly, Nadler & Norris

Jeff Petrucelly

MEMBERSMakis Antzoulatos, CPCS

Ricardo Arroyo-Montano, CPCSBenjamin Evans, CPCS

Benjamin Falkner, Krasnoo Klehm & FalknerJudith Glaubman, Freelance ResearcherLee Goldstein, Goldstein & Feuer

David Kelston, Shapiro Weissberg & GarinJosh Raisler Cohn, CPCSElaine Sharp, Solo PractitionerBonnie Tenneriello, PLSEden Williams, Legal Analyst

LAW STUDENT REPRESENTATIVESZachary Klein, Boston College

Nicole Holbrook, Boston UniversityCollin Point, Harvard

Monica Shah & Marecca Vertina, NUCarey Shockey, Suffolk

Debra Wilmer, UMass DartmouthSarita Manigat, Western New England

STAFFExECUTIvE DIRECTOR/EDITOR

Urszula Masny-LatosLRS COORDINATOR/ADMIN. ASSIST.

Julia Wedgle

LITIGATION COMMITTEE INTERNConnor Flynn

STREET LAW CLINIC COORDINATORYatzel Sabat

Mass Dissent (ISSN 0887-8536) is publishedevery other month (February, April, June,September, October, December) by the NationalLawyers Guild, Mass. Chapter, 14 Beacon St.,Suite 407, Boston, MA 02108. Second-classpostage paid at Boston, MA. POSTMASTER:Send address changes to Mass Dissent, NLG,14 Beacon St., Suite 407, Boston, MA 02108.

NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILDMassachusetts Chapter, Inc.

14 Beacon St., Suite 407Boston, MA 02108

tel.: 617-227-7335 • fax: 617-227-5495nlgmass@igc.org • nlgmass-director@igc.org

www.nlgmass.org

Street Law Clinic Project: The Street Law Clinic project providesworkshops for Massachusetts organizations that address legal needs ofvarious communities. Legal education workshops on 4th AmendmentRights (Stop & Search), Landlord/Tenant Disputes, Workers’ Rights,Civil Disobedience Defense, Bankruptcy Law, Foreclosure PreventionLaw, and Immigration Law are held at community organizations, youthcenters, labor unions, shelters, and pre-release centers. If you are anNLG attorney, law student, or legal worker interested in leading a work-shop, please contact the project at 617-227-7335 or nlgmass-slc@igc.org.

Lawyer Referral Service Panel (LRS): Members of the panel providelegal services at reasonable rates. Referral Service Committee members:Benjamin Dowling, Sebastian Korth, Douglas Lovenberg, and JonathanMessinger. For more information, contact the LRS Coordinator at 617-227-7008 or nlgmass-lrs@igc.org.

Foreclosure Prevention Task Force: Created in June 2008, the TaskForce’s goal is threefold: (1) advocate for policies that address issuesfacing homeowners and tenants of foreclosed houses, (2) provide legalassistance to these homeowners and tenants, and (3) conduct legal clin-ics for them. If you are interested in working with the Task Force, pleasecall the office at 617-227-7335.

Mass Defense Committee: Consists of two sub-committees: (1)“Legal Observers” (students, lawyers, activists) who are trained to serveas legal observers at political demonstrations and (2) “Mass DefenseTeam” (criminal defense attorneys) who represent activists arrested forpolitical activism. To get involved, please contact the NLG office at 617-227-7335.

Litigation Committee: Established in 2010, the Committee bringscivil lawsuits against large institutions (such as government agencies,law enforcement, banks, financial institutions, and/or large corporations)that engage in repressive or predatory actions that affect large numbersof people and perpetuate social, racial and/or economic injustice orinequality. To get involved, please contact the NLG office.

NLG National Immigration Project: Works to defend and extend thehuman and civil rights of all immigrants, documented and undocument-ed. The Project works in coalitions with community groups to organizesupport for immigrants’ rights in the face of right-wing political attacks.For more information contact the NLG National Immigration Project at617-227-9727.

NLG Military Law Task Force: Provides legal advice and assistanceto those in the military and to others, especially members of the GIRightsHotline, who are counseling military personnel on their rights. It alsoprovides legal support and helps find local legal referrals when needed.For advice and information, GI’s can call 877-447-4487. To getinvolved, please contact Neil Berman (njberman2@juno.com) orMarguerite Helen (mugsm@mindspring.com).

Join a Guild Committee

December 2017 Mass Dissent Page 3

GUILD NEWS

Youare invited to the “NLG Presents - Think & Drink” HappyHour - a quarterly event held on the 2nd Wednesday ofJanuary, April, September, and November (or June). Areport from the most recent Happy Hour is on page 4. Ifyou have ideas for a presentation or would like to be aspeaker, please call the NLG office at 617-227-7335.

NLGand several other groups will host a forum on theMuslim Travel Ban - Monday, December 5, 5:30-8:00 pm,Harvard Law School, Hauser Hall, Rm 102. Amongthe panelists will be NLG member Rachel Rosenbloom.

Onceagain, this year’s NLG Holiday Party will be at ShapiroWeissberg & Garin, on Friday, December 8, from

5:30 to 8:30 pm. As always, we will serve wonderfulfood and beverages, and there will be many attractions,including a raffle drawing of very exciting prizes. Raffletickets are $10/each. If you have questions please con-tact the NLG office at 617-227-7335.

Nextsemester the NLG students at six law schools will host aseries of forums on Resistance Lawyering. All detailswill be sent out soon.

The2018 Annual Testimonial Dinner will be on Friday, May4, at the Hibernian Hall in Roxbury. This year, for thefirst time, we are offering discount tickets for “EarlyBirds” - between now and March 1, 2018, tickets will be$115, compared to $135 regular after March 1. Tickets canbe purchased at http://www.nlgmass.org/reserve-tickets/.

NLG HAPPY HOUR

Street Law Clinic ReportThe following clinics and trainings were conducted formembers of Boston area organizations and agencies:

September 19: Housing Law clinic for ABCDprogram in Dorchester, by Kevin Heffernan.

September 20: Legal Observing at a protest inBoston against Jeff Sessions, by Yatzel Sabat. •Housing Law clinic for St. Ambrose Family Shelter,by Melinda Drew.

September 21: Housing Law clinic for ProjectPlace in Boston, by Jeff Feuer.

September 25: Legal Observing at a rally for ten-ant rights organized in Lynn by United Lynn, byKyleen Burke & Nina Schwartzman

September 26: Stop & Search training for law

students from BLSA at Boston College, by MakisAntzoulatos.

September 27: Housing Law clinic Arise Spring-field in Springfield, by Catherine Ady-Bell. •Stop & Search clinic for Boston Centers for Youth& Families-Blackstone, by Christian Williams.

September 28: Legal Observing at a protest atHarvard against Betsy DeVos, by Charles Haigh &Adam Wehrkamp.October 4: Housing Law clinic for Communitiesfor People in Somerville, by Jeff Feuer. •Housing Law clinic for No One Leaves inSpringfield, by Catherine Ady-Bell.

October 7: Legal Observing at anti-ColumbusDay events in Boston, by Genevieve Butler, GeoffCarens, Laura Frye, and Hannah Levine.

RESISTANCE SERIES

MUSLIM BAN FORUM

HOLIDAY PARTY

ARTICLES FOR MASS DISSENTThe February issue of Mass Dissent will look into one year of Trump.

If you are interested in submitting an article, essay, analysis, or art work (cartoons, pictures) related to the topic,please e-mail your work to nlgmass-director@igc.org.

The deadline for articles is January 15.

NLG ANNUAL DINNER

Continued on page 4

December 2017 Mass Dissent Page 4

NLG Presents...” - Think & Drink Happy Hour

(Top-Bottom) Susan Nicholson (center) presents on thestatus of anti-boycott legislations. Participants in the con-versation. (Photos by Urszula Masny-Latos)

In November the Happy Hour was on Anti-BDS legislation. Twenty-five states havepassed legislation that prohibits support forboycotts of Israel by any contractor of thestate, or in some states, by anyone whoreceives any state benefits. The first challengeto one of these blatantly unconstitutional lawsis just getting underway. In Massachusetts,Gardner Auditorium at the State House waspacked last summer for a hearing on theMassachusetts version. NLG members spokein opposition as well as submitted written tes-timony. Susan Nicholson led us in a discus-sion that included how we can work to counterthe strong lobbying that is going on in favor ofthis legislation. Contact us to get involved.

2018 NLG ANNUAL DINNER HONOREE NOMINATIONS

The NLG Massachusetts Chapter isaccepting nominations for the 2018 NLGDinner Honorees: Lawyer Award, RobDoyle Award for Unsung Hero, LegalWorker Award, and Student Award.

Please fill out the form inserted in thisissue of Mass Dissent and either mail itto our office (14 Beacon St., Suite 407,Boston, MA 02108) or email it tonlgmass-director@igc.org by the dead-line.

The deadline for all nominations is Monday, December 11, 2017.

Street Law Street Law Clinic ReportContinued from page 3

October 10: Workers’ Rights clinic PresentationSchool Foundation Community Center, byQuesiyah Ali. October 11: Immigration Law clinic for CharlesView Community Center, by Anthony Keber. October 16: Legal Observing in Springfield ata protest against ICE and mass deportations, organ-ized by immigrant rights organizations, by JustinHelepololei, Priscilla Lynch, and EvelynWulfkuhle. • Housing Law clinic for CrossroadsFamily Shelter, by Jeff Feuer.October 17: Housing Law clinic for PresentationSchool Foundation Community Center, by JeffFeuer & Vera Schneider. October 18: Stop & Search clinic for CharlesView Community Center, by Makis Antzoulatos& Beverly Chorbajian. • Housing Law trainingfor law students at Northeastern, by MelindaDrew.

he Mass Defense Committee(MDC) continued its work

throughout the year supportingsocial movements for justice. Wehave collaborated with groups work-ing for racial, economic, climate, andmigrant justice, Palestinian solidari-ty, and queer liberation and afford-able housing struggles. Whilethe white supremacist power struc-tures launched attacks at individualsand communities across the countryand the world, the people stood upin inspired and liberatory resistance.The MDC was proud to stand insupport of these movements! We sent half a dozen legalworkers and lawyers to StandingRock early this spring, providinglegal observing, jail support, legalconsultations, trainings, docu-menting police abuses, and officesupport to the Water ProtectorsLegal Collective that was basedin the resistance encampment.We supported the Collective, anamazing legal team led mostly byNative American women. Whilethe encampment has beencleared, there are still hundredson ongoing criminal cases thatpeople need support with. (seehttps://waterprotectorlegal.org/) In local anti-pipeline efforts, wecontinued to support the campaignresisting the West RoxburyPipeline. This pipeline is a spurproject to a much larger pipelineproject being built that will takefracked natural gas and send it tointernational markets, further fuelingdisastrous climate change. There isa group of activists from this cam-paign who are working with a groupof MDC lawyers to mount a climatechange-based necessity defense totheir criminal charges from blockingthe construction of the pipeline. We

also supported activists whoengaged in sit-ins at local banks thatare financing pipeline projects.These protests occurred both incentral and eastern Massachusetts,and after a number of court appear-ances we were able to help theactivists successfully resolve theircriminal charges. In anti-nuclear news, the MDChas continued its work supportingactivists campaigning to finallyshut down the Pilgrim nuclearplant in Plymouth. We have sup-ported actvists who have engagedin civil disobedience this year,including a group that met withtheir prosecutor and had anopportunity to really lay out therisks of the plant to him, andended up obtaining a very favor-able result in their criminal cases. The MDC has had an incred-ible working relationship over thepast few years with If Not Now. IfNot Now is a movement workingtowards an American Jewishcommunity that stands for free-dom and dignity for all Israelisand Palestinians by ending sup-port for the occupation. The MDChas led a number of legal train-ings for the Boston chapter of IfNot Now. Our volunteer lawyersrepresented members of If NotNow following several civil dis-obedience actions, including anarrest that occurred during a “lib-eration Seder” held outside theofficers of AIPAC. Late this summer the MDCmade a strong showing in support-ing the anti-Nazis resistance led byBlack Lives Matters and othergroups to a small rally of whitesupremacists on the BostonCommon. On short notice we pro-vided legal trainings for over 1,000activists, including simultaneoustrainings in different locations lead-ing up to the march. We providedover 25 legal observers to a variety

of marches and rallies during theevents. Through a collaborationwith Law for Black Lives and theMass Association of CriminalDefense Lawyers we were able toprovide representation to all theanti-racist activists who were arrest-ed. A number of those cases haveresulted in dismissed charges, andothers are ongoing. We continue towork with Black led groups andother organizations that are resist-ing race based violence by bothstate and non-state actors. The MDC continues to pro-vide trainings, legal support andattorneys to individuals and com-munities targeted by ICE. Thiswork includes a wide range ofactivities, from supporting sanctu-ary work to legal advice at airportsduring travel bans to individuallegal advice to supporting com-munities that are working to resistraids and stop deportations. Wealso represented actvists this yearwho engaged in a sit in at theSouth Bay House of Correctionsin protest of jails contracted tohold people detained on allegedimmigration law violations. We continue to conduct LegalObserver trainings, and havetrained new volunteers to leadthe civil disobedience legal brief-ings. We also continue to supportcampus based activism, workingto support student leadership incampus campaigns about fairwages, climate change, andupending racist legacies. We are always interested innew volunteers to help with thiswork, so if you are interested,please let us know and volunteer!

December 2017 Mass Dissent Page 5

Mass Defense Committee Report

T

by Makis Antzoulatos & JoshRaisler Cohn

Makis Antzoulatos & Josh RaislerCohn are co-coordinators of theMass Chapter Mass DefenseCommittee.

has been quite chal-lenging -- for the

country (Trump’s presidency) andfor the NLG Mass Chapter (stretch-ing our services and resources tomaximum). Our Litigation Com-mittee, whose mission is to chal-lenge oppressive institutionalpractices, has worked non-stop.Four of our cases ended thisyear—two favorably and two not– which is in fact not disappointing,since we don’t take on easy cases.A fifth case (Hep C, see below) ison track for trial in mid-2018. We got favorable results intwo cases where we used thestate Freedom Of Information Act(G.L. c. 66, sec.10) to get impor-tant, withheld documents from theBoston Police and from BristolCounty Sheriff Tom Hodgsen. Inthe police case, we challengedthe BPD’s effectively withholdingfrom us 1,500 pages of docu-ments showing surveillance of theOccupy Boston movement in2011-2012 – after BPD specifical-ly promised us that this kind ofsurveillance, and maintenance ofsuch surveillance records by theirRegional Intelligence Center(BRIC), had ended. (The com-plaint, see NLG v. BPD et al.,Suffolk. Superior Court No. 15-1424, lays out the background,including the fact that BRIC’s ownrules required the documents atissue to have been purged yearsago.) While we are still reviewingthe documents produced, andarguing over some redactions,this case should contribute to ourefforts to control police conduct.In our case against SheriffHodgsen, the NLG representedPrisoners’ Legal Services (PLS),which had been trying to get doc-

uments concerning mental healthservices to inmates and relatedmatters for more than a year.Since the Sheriff’s Office basicallystonewalled, it took a lawsuit toget documents that should havebeen produced voluntarily longbefore. And hopefully the docu-ments obtained will help PLS in itsongoing efforts to secure propermental health services for prison-ers and fight solitary confinementand related practices. In our ongoing work on behalfof tenants and homeowners fac-ing illegal foreclosures, we filedfor client Massachusetts AllianceAgainst Predatory Lending(MAAPL) and individual home-owners a case directly with theSJC seeking a declaration delay-ing the implementation ofChapter 141 of the Acts of 2015,which drastically limits the rightsof homeowners to challengeforeclosures by significantlyshortening the statute of limita-tions. While the Attorney Generalwon the motion to dismiss, thiswas only our first challenge to thisbill, which we believe to beunconstitutional. The LitigationCommittee, in conjunction withMAAPL, is working now to mounta new case that will directlyattack the unconstitutionality ofthis oppressive legislation.Members of the Committee arealso working with City Life andrepresenting tenants in theHousing Court to keep low andmoderate income families in theirhomes and fight gentrification inthe Dudley Square area. In contrast to the MAAPLcase, the Attorney General’soffice turned out to be of ally ofsorts in our case challenging theDepartment of Correction’s failureto treat well over 1,000 inmateswith the potentially deadly Hep C

virus – at least the office realizesthat DOC’s record of treatingalmost no inmates when we filedFowler v. Turco, USDC 1:15Cv12298, could not possibly meetconstitutional standards. The liti-gation has thus far succeeded inincreasing the number of prison-ers being treated with the life-sav-ing DDA medications from one ortwo to over a hundred, and weexpect continuing success as thecase moves forward to trial. Finally, in Walker v. BostonMedical Center Corp., we chal-lenged hospital practices that ledto a contractor releasing patients’private medical records. Whilewe got a disappointing decisionon summary judgment from theBusiness Litigation Session (find-ing named plaintiffs could notshow their records were actuallyaccessed by third parties), thecase is on appeal. Moreover, theissues are ones that will ariseagain and often, with new factsand different outcomes. If you are interested in partic-ipating in our Committee’s work,please contact the NLG office. We also welcome your ideas.The mission of the Committee isto bring lawsuits against largeinstitutions (such as governmentagencies, law enforcement,banks, financial institutions,and/or large corporations whichengage in repressive or predatoryactions that affect large numbersof people and that serve to per-petuate social, racial and/or eco-nomic injustice or inequality. Ifyou encounter a wrong that, inyour opinion, falls within the inter-est of the Committee, pleasebring it to our attention.

December 2017 Mass Dissent Page 6

NLG Litigation Committee Reportby David Kelston

David Kelston of ShapiroWeissberg & Garin is on theBoard of the Mass Chapter.

2017

he Street Law Clinic project(SLC) has for years provided

legal workshops and advice forpolitical activists, communitygroups, organizers, law students,and others. Over the last summer, theSLC project hosted a full-timeintern - Shayok Chakraborty - whoworked with local organizationsand NLG attorneys to scheduledozens of legal clinics taking placethroughout the Fall. He also start-ed updating SLC written materialsfor distribution to communitymembers who attend the clinics.As a result of Shayok’s work, SLChas established contacts with sev-

eral new organizations and agen-cies who offer resources andassistance to under-served com-munities in the Boston area.We’ve also conducted clinics withthese new organizations, amongthem - St. Stephen’s Church YouthPrograms, Black & Pink,Communities for People, AriseSpringfield, Crossroads FamilyShelter, and Project Place. In the fall, I took over andcoordinated the project for twomonths. On top of scheduling newclinics and confirming thosealready scheduled, I was able toorganize trainings for law stu-dents at Northeastern University,Boston University, and BostonCollege to train them, so theywould be ready to conduct future

clinics themselves. I have alsoworked with and assisted volun-teer NLG attorneys who led andsupervised the clinics. Right now the NLG-MassChapter is looking for a new StreetLaw Clinic Coordinator to continuethis work, as the demand for theclinics is high - new sessions arealready being lined up for theSpring. If you are interested in thisposition, please contact the NLGoffice at 617-227-7335.

December 2017 Mass Dissent Page 7

Yatzel Sabat is a Coordinator ofthe Street Law Clinic project anda second year law students atNortheastern University LawSchool.

by Yatzel Sabat

T

Street Law Clinic Report

Street Law Street Law Clinic ReportContinued from page 3

October 19: Housing Law clinic for United SouthEnd Settlements, by Jeff Petrucelly.

October 23: Workers’ Rights clinic forCrossroads Family Shelter, by Lili Ibara.

October 26: Stop & Search clinic conducted forthe St. Stephen’s Youth Programs in Boston, byCarl Williams.

November 2: Legal Observing at action organ-ized by Students for Justice in Palestine atNortheastern University, by Laura Frye, ElizabethIngermann, and Larisa Zehr.

November 4: Direct Action clinic for climatechange activists from Better Future Project, by JeffFeuer. • Legal Observing in Boston at anti-nazisevent organized by Refuse Fascism, by GenevieveButler, Geoff Carens, Thera McAroy, and EmilyMurcko.

November 7: Housing Law clinic for RoxburyMulti-Service, by Kevin Heffernan.

November 8: Stop & Search clinic for ABCD inDorchester, by John Salsberg.

November 12: Direct Action clinic for BetterFuture Project, by Jeff Feuer.

November 13: Legal Observer training for lawstudents at Boston College, by Makis Antzoulatos.

November 15: Stop & Search clinic for Communi-ties for People, by Makis Antzoulatos. • HousingLaw clinic for ABCD in South End, by Jeff Feuer andBU law students Hillary Leffue & Ria Nandani.

November 18: Legal Observing at anti-nazisevents in Boston organized by Resist Supremacyand by Refuse Fascism, by Theodore Altman,Genevieve Butler, Geoff Carens, Dash Davis,Daniel Finn, Laura Frye, Nicholas Horne,Elizabeth Ingermann, Anna Kastner, TheraMcAroy, Molly McGrath, Lisa Plato, MonicaShah, Graham Sternberg, and Meg Ziegler.

December 2017 Mass Dissent Page 8

neys to take on representation forover 30 arrestees. The NLG MassChapter made a bold and defini-tive stance to fight alongsidemovements against whitesupremacy by having attorneysthere all day to observe interac-tions with the police and all nightto ensure that all arrestees werebailed out as soon as possible. We are tremendously gratefulto the Chapter supporters who

have donated theirtime and expertise toour work and who,like our Sustainers,have supported usfinancially. Thisyear the Chapter hasreceived substantialfinancial supportfrom the DefenseAgainst ThoughtControl Foundationwith a grant of$75,000 for our

Litigation and Mass DefenseCommittees and from PamRogers with a gift of $5,000 todevelop a new Chapter website.Pam has also spent countlesshours working with the websitedesigners to have the new siteready for January of 2018. While this show of supportand effort from both outside andwithin has been heartening, we arehopeful that people can sustainthis energy and continue to workwith the NLG Mass Chapter inany kind of way that the climatewould dictate. Right now we havea Board membership that haschanged and now includes bothlegal and non-legal folks and peo-ple of color at its helm. While thisis wonderful, as an organizationdedicated to anti-racist work,fighting white supremacy, capital-ism, misogyny, misogynor, andanti-LGBTQIA attacks, the NLGMass Chapter needs your help andsupport more than ever.

- Chapter Co-Chairs -Rebecca Amdemariam & Carl

Williams

Continued from page 1

Mass Chapter in Action - 2017 in Review

(top-bottom) Legal Observer at the anti-nazis protests in August (Photo by CarlWilliams). Around 100 legal professionals gathered on a freezing January day in frontof the District Court in Boston to protest the inauguration of Trump; the rally was organ-ized by Benjamin Evans, member of the NLG Mass Chapter Board (Photo by UrszulaMasny-Latos). Fall Event for the Chapter Sustainers (Photo by Julia Wedgle).

December 2017 Mass Dissent Page 9

ur Happy Hours at the Red Hat on Beacon Hillhave always been about connecting with

movements and ideas, drinks strictly optional. Thisyear more than ever we have looked to activists inthe Boston area to share their struggles and leaddiscussion on how we might work together. • January brought Cairo Mendes, lead organ-izer with the Student Immigrant Movement (SIM),to share his personal story and the work of SIM tosupport immigrant youth applying for DeferredAction for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Subsequentmonths only brought more salience to SIM’s work,and the Mass Chapter honored SIM with the legalworker award at our May dinner. • In April we had a session with NLG MassDefense Committee (MDC) members, highlight-ing the MDC’s ongoing work to train and supportactivists engaged in political dissent. Trainings, legalobservation, and successful legal defense by theMDC have continued to grow throughout the year. • In September we met with three activistsengaged with the local sanctuary movement, GabyChavez, Nestor Pimienta, and Alfredo Garcia, andwith Luke Abdow, an immigrant rights organizerwith Massachusetts Community Action Network(MCAN). With two area churches currently offeringsanctuary and others standing at the ready, and withundocumented immigrants in need of various otherforms of support, this was a timely meeting. • In November, we had a discussion withSusan Nicholson, a lead organizer with TheFreedom to Boycott Coalition in Massachusettson pending state legislation to curb Boycott,Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), a peaceful andlegitimate strategy for leveraging consumer andconstituent power to persuade Israel to comply withinternational law to respect Palestinian humanrights. We also heard what is happening with anti-BDS legislation in other states and federally. While we’re grateful for the Red Hat’s hospital-ity, we would love to find another venue that’s cen-trally located (downtown Boston), disability-acces-sible and with a slightly more secluded area that wecould use. Please let us know if you have anyideas.

by Judy Somberg & Bonnie Tenneriello

O

NLG Happy Hour 2017- Connecting with Activists

NLG Lawyer ReferralService

by Julia Wedgle

was a mixed bag for the LawyerReferral Service (LRS). The LRS, a

project of the NLG-Massachusetts Chapter, pro-vides referrals to lower-cost attorneys for low- tomoderate-income clients across Massachusetts.The LRS has been an integral service of theChapter since it was founded in early 1980s. Weprovide referrals for attorneys across the state inmost areas of law ranging from family law to criminallaw to landlord-tenant law to much more. This year, on average, the LRS provided 25-30referrals per week. By the end of 2017 we expect toprovide over 1,500 referrals in total. As in past years,the most common requests for referrals have been:family law, civil litigation and landlord-tenant cases.We are often the last resort for people looking forlegal services in Massachusetts. Unfortunately, thenumber of cases we refer has been declining inrecent years, so we are open to new ideas for how toincrease our visibility. If you have any ideas how wecan better advertise our service to various communi-ties in Massachusetts, please let us know. The LRS currently has 32 members. While themajority of our attorneys work in the Greater BostonArea, we are able to provide referrals to clientsthroughout the state because many of our attorneysare willing to travel to more rural counties.Unfortunately in recent years we’ve experienced adecrease in membership, but we encourange newmembers - across the state, in all areas of law - to join. The LRS provides a great service for NLGmembers who choose to join the project. It providesan opportunity for new attorneys to build a clientbase, and for those attorneys who have been prac-ticing for years to continue growing theirs. Our service has the lowest remittance fees inthe state and the dues are very affordable. Wehope you will consider joining the LRS. Annualdues are just $175 and remittance fees are 10-15%.Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have anyquestions, ideas for how to improve our service, orif you are interested in joining our service. In 2018we hope to continue providing quality, affordablelegal services in all areas of law to clients acrossMassachusetts.

2017

Continued on page 11Continued on page 11

December 2017 Mass Dissent Page 10

Boston Collegeby Zachary Klein

The BC Law chapter of the National Lawyers Guildremains active in the fight for justice both within ourcommunity and across the nation. In addition to suc-cessful Know Your Rights and Legal Observer train-ings, this semester has seen many NLG-BC mem-bers become intimately involved in the contentiousefforts to get a graduate student employee union rec-ognized by both the BC administration and the newlyanti-union NLRB--in fact, Senator Bernie Sandersjust sent a letter to BC President Father WilliamLeahy in solidarity with our cause. Although thesemester is nearly at an end, we eagerly await theaffordable public housing and medical marijuana lawevents that are already on the calendar for Spring. Inthe meantime, however, we wish all of our brothersand sisters in solidarity throughout the Common-wealth a joyous and restful holiday season.

Boston Universityby Alexandra Arnold

In September, the BU chapter of the NLG hosted aStreet Law Clinic training on landlord-tenant law.About 30 students attended and were trained by anNLG attorney; several have since participated inStreet Law clinics in the community. An attorneyfrom Greater Boston Legal Services came to cam-pus in October to talk about the current criminal lawreform bills in front of the Massachusetts StateLegislature and how students could get involved inlobbying. We have also started a critical legal theo-ry workshop series to revisit 1L cases and conceptsand examine how the law supports and constructssystems of power and social inequality. Our firstworkshop served as an introduction to critical legaltheories and will be followed up by workshops spe-cific to certain 1L topics. We have also started infor-mal lunch meetings every two weeks.

Harvardby Daniel Espo

This semester our chapter of the NLG has beenbusy planning Legal Observer training and coordi-nating with ally organizations work against theMuslim Ban and recent attacks on immigrants.

We're also collaborating with other Boston-areaNLG student chapters to host the upcoming"Resistance Lawyering Series." Harvard's contribu-tion will be a talk on the specific skills and sensibili-ties organizers need from lawyers. In other words,we hope to answer the question “What is a move-ment lawyer?” by consulting grassroots organizers,and collectively determining some best practices forlegal professionals hoping to work with marginal-ized communities in the struggle.

Northeasternby Monica Shah

Northeastern’s NLG chapter has had an active Fall2017. We have hosted two Critical Theory workshopsfor the 1Ls (Civil Procedure and Torts), with a Propertyworkshop in the works. We have also had two LegalObserver trainings and a SLC Housing Law Clinictraining, all of which were attended by students fromother law schools as well! In October we sponsoreda well-attended “Wrongful Convictions Day” eventwith a panel featuring two exonerated people and thewife of a wrongfully imprisoned man, and we also co-sponsored a forum with the Program of Human Rightsand the Global Economy with David Morales, theSalvadoran attorney taking the lead on the El Mozotecase. In November, with the help of other studentgroups on campus, we screened Whose Streets, adocumentary about the uprising in Ferguson after thepolice murder of unarmed teenager Michael Brown inAugust 2014. After the screening we had an activistfrom the Ferguson movement Skyped in to talk aboutthe events surrounding the uprising. In addition, we are supporting, in various ways,other causes around our community, such as LynnUnited for Change and Northeastern’s dining hallworkers in their negotiations for a living wage andaffordable health insurance.

UMass School of Law in Dartmouthby Debra Wilmer

After a frustrating bureaucratic process, our NLGstudent chapter finally received official designationas a school club on October 22. This will allow usto reserve rooms, hold functions, access SBAfunds, etc etc. Our two main goals are to holdmonthly events and to partner/support other student

NLG Law Student Chapters Reports

December 2017 Mass Dissent Page 11

NLG Massachusetts Chapter Sustainers YES, INCLUDE MY NAME AMONG NLG MASSACHUSETTS CHAPTER

SUSTAINERS!

I, _____________________________________, ammaking a commitment to support the MassachusettsChapter of the Guild with an annual contribution of:_____ $500 (not including my membership dues)$ ________ (other above $500)

As a sustainer I will receive:• special listing in the Dinner Program;• 1/8 page ad in the Dinner Program;• acknowledgement in every issue of Mass Dissent;• two (2) free raffle tickets for a Holiday Party raffle;• invitation to special events.

Three ways to become a sustainer:• contribute $500 or more a year (in addition to dues)• pair up with another person and pay $250 each, or• join the “Guild Circle” and pay $50/month minimum.

Please mail to: NLG, Massachusetts Chapter 14 Beacon St., Suite 407, Boston, MA 02108

In the spring of 2003, the Massachusetts Chapter of the NLG initiatedthe Chapter Sustainer Program. Since its inception, the Program hasbeen very successful and has been enthusiastically joined by the following Guild members:

Anonymous • Steve Buckley • Patricia Cantor &Jeff Petrucelly • J.W. Carney • Howard Cooper •Caroline Darman • Melinda Drew & Jeff Feuer •Roger Geller & Marjorie Suisman • Lee Goldstein &Mark Stern • Benjie Hiller • Andrei Joseph &Bonnie Tenneriello • Martin Kantrovitz • NancyKelly & John Willshire-Carrera • David Kelston •John Mannheim • Jonthan Messinger • HankPhillippi Ryan & Jonathan Shapiro • Allan Rodgers• Martin Rosenthal • Shapiro, Weissberg & Garin •Elaine Sharp • Anne Sills & Howard Silverman •Judy Somberg

The Sustainer Program is one of the most important Chapter initiatives tosecure its future existence. Please consider joining the Program.

clubs on campus. So far, it appears we are on track. InSeptember, we had a table at the school Orientation; inOctober we had a movie night; in December - a holiday socialevent; in January, we plan to have a speaker on the Bail Fund;in February, we’ll host one of the forums of the NLGResistance Series; in March we’ll host two NLG trainings:Know Your Rights and Legal Observer; and in April - a panelon the Substance Abuse Reform and Marijuana Law.

NLG Student Chapters Reports

We hope to see you at the 2018 Happy Hours! Come tolisten, ask questions, or perhaps present an issue of your own.And please let us know if you have suggestions for speakers.

Judy Somberg & Bonnie Tenneriello are Co-Coordinators ofthe NLG Happy Hour program.

Julia Wedgle coordinates the LawyerReferral Service and is also theAdministratrive Assistant.

This year, the LRS Committee,which is the advisory body for theLRS, welcomed an additional mem-ber, Jason Korta. Jason has joinedother members of the Committee -Cynthia Maccausland, BenjaminDowling, Douglas Lovenberg andJonathan Messinger. We would also like to thank NLGmember, Carrie Darman, who, overthe summer, helped coordinate theProject while I was on leave.

NLG Happy Hour 2017

NLG Lawyer ReferralServiceContinued from page 10

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The National Lawyers Guild is...

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Please Join Us!Dues are calculated on a calendar year basis (Jan.1-Dec.31) according to your income*:

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* Any new member who joins after September 1 will becarried over to the following year. Dues may be paid infull or in quarterly installments. Dues of $80 cover thebasic membership costs, which include publication andmailing of Mass Dissent (the Chapter's monthly newslet-ter), national and regional dues, and the office and staff.

Fill out and send to:National Lawyers Guild, Massachusetts Chapter14 Beacon St., Suite 407, Boston, MA 02108

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" ... an association dedicated to the need for basic change in the structure of ourpolitical and economic system. We seek to unite the lawyers, law students, legalworkers and jailhouse lawyers of America in an organization which shall functionas an effective political and social force in the service of people, to the end thathuman rights shall be regarded as more sacred than property interests." -Preamble to the Constitution of the National Lawyers Guild

Donate to Support the Guild!The Massachusetts Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild’s

Mass Defense Committee provides legal representation and assistance to the Occupy Boston movement.

We need your support.Please help by donating to the Mass Chapter by mailing this form and a check to

14 Beacon St., Suite 407, Boston, MA 02108) or visiting www.nlgmass.org/donate.

I, ________________________ (name), am donating $ _______ to the NLG Mass Chapter to help support the Mass Defense Committee and their work,