February 2025 Network Gathering:
In February 2025, members of the US Legal Empowerment Network gathered in Chicago, Illinois for a powerful two-day convening. Following our inaugural gathering in October 2023, members came together for a series of co-learning sessions led by network members and local partners. Session topics included organizational and community resilience, fundraising 101, and community-led responses to the current moment.
Our time together allowed us to map out the goals of the network, develop internal working groups, and think critically on the role of legal empowerment in the face of democratic backsliding. Our network recognizes the power of uniting the law and organizing to build resilient, democratic institutions that include all of us. We are committed to unleashing legal empowerment tools in the US and are planning an Action conference in early 2026. Stay tuned for more!
We are grateful to our partners at Beyond Legal Aid for making this gathering possible.
Inaugural Legal Empowerment Leadership Course:
In October 2023, a collective of 50 legal empowerment practitioners from across the country gathered in Santa Cruz county, California for the inaugural U.S. Legal Empowerment Leadership Course. Over the course of five days, organizers, lawyers, and researchers explored the role of legal empowerment in advancing community-centered justice through a mix of case studies, skill sessions, and small working groups. These sessions were built off learnings from a powerful global movement, and spanned topics such as Community-Driven Litigation, Power Mapping and Organizing, Community Centered Legal Ethics and Role of Community Paralegals in Advancing Justice. During the week, participants gained the tools to learn and use legal empowerment, built deep connections with each other rooted in care and community, and explored actions to advance the movement such as reforming legal ethics laws, among others.
The U.S. Legal Empowerment Leadership Course was a transformative encounter for many. One participant shared how "It opened a new perspective on how to think and imagine legal empowerment" while another asked that we continue to meet, "Can we have a part 2 for this cohort? An opportunity to reconvene and share what we've worked after this course?"
Stay tuned for opportunities to plug into the US LE Network.
We are grateful to our co-organizers at Beyond Legal Aid, the Legal Empowerment Network, and the Jailhouse Lawyers Initiative for making the inaugural course possible.