Yale Law School to Host Liman Public Interest Colloquium

 The Seventh Annual Arthur Liman Public Interest Colloquium, "Groups in Transition: Public Interest Lawyering in an Era of High Anxiety," will be held at Yale Law School on March 5.

Panel discussions will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. on "Living in the Shadow of the Criminal Justice System," which will address the civil consequences of a criminal conviction; "No Child Left Behind/No Child Let In," discussing the difficulties of children in delinquency, at risk, and foster care programs; and "Seeking Work/Fearing Raids," considering the challenges of immigrant, migrant, and non-standard workers.

Speakers include Judith Resnik, Arthur Liman Professor of Law at Yale Law School; Joseph "Jazz" Hayden, director of NYC Unlock the Block Campaign; Connecticut State Representative Michael Lawlor; Nkechi Taifa, senior policy analyst at the Open Society Institute; Jeremy Travis, senior fellow at The Urban Institute; Professor Bernardine Dohrn of Northwestern University School of Law; Catherine Lhamon, an attorney with ACLU of Southern California; Martha Stone, director of the Center for Children's Advocacy; Lincoln Caplan, editor of Legal Affairs magazine; Deborah Anker, clinical professor of law at Harvard Law School; Deborah J. Cantrell, director of the Arthur Liman Public Interest Program at Yale Law School; Saru Jayaraman, director of Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York; Raj Nayak, an Equal Justice Works Fellow at the National Center on Poverty Law; and David Rudovsky, founding partner of Kairys, Rudovsky, Epstein & Messing. A number of former Liman Fellows will also appear as panelists.

The Arthur Liman Public Interest Program was established at Yale Law School in 1996 to honor the late Arthur Liman, a partner in the New York City law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. In addition to his work at the firm, Liman had a long and distinguished career as a public servant, including positions on the New York State Special Commission on Attica, the Legal Aid Society of New York, the Neighborhood Legal Services of Harlem, the Legal Action Center of New York City, and the New York State Capital Defender's Office. He also served as special counsel to the United States Senate Select Committee on Secret Military Assistance to Iran and the Nicaraguan Opposition, also known as the Iran-Contra Committee.

The Liman Program brings together law students, current practitioners, academicians, and public interest advocates. It also supports fellowships for Yale Law School graduates to work full time for a year in any area of the legal profession devoted to the public interest.

The 2003-2004 fellows and their placements are: Joshua Civin '03, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, working to implement affirmative action opportunities in light of recent Supreme Court decisions; Cyd Fremmer '04, EdLaw Project, working with Boston youth on probation, in detention, or post-incarceration; Robert Hoo '04, Legal Services of Northern California, working to insure that zoning policies include provisions for low-income housing; Tom Jawetz '03, Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs, representing individuals in immigration proceedings and enlisting lawyers to provide pro bono representation; and Lisa Powell '03, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, offering immigration services to victims of human trafficking and violence.

Participants must pre-register for this program by February 23 by contacting the Arthur Liman Public Interest Program at Yale Law School at 203 432-7740; www.law.yale.edu/liman.