2007 Annual Meeting will feature Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson -- Thursday, March 8

Hamline University School of Law -- 1536 Hewitt Ave., St. Paul
Moot Court room -- Thursday, March 8 - 6:00 pm

Join the Minnesota Lavender Bar Association members and friends for brief comments and questions with our honored guest, the first time an attorney general has participated in a Minnesota Lavender Bar Association function.

Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson
Beyond Consumer Protection:
A Progressive Agenda for the Attorney General's Office

GENEROUSLY CO-SPONSORED BY THE HAMLINE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW
Meet Minnesota's new Attorney General, Lori Swanson. She has already made headlines in pursuing important consumer protection issues, but what else does Attorney General Swanson see on the horizon for her office?

Refreshments, MLBA annual meeting to follow - please stay to learn more about new opportunities to get involved with the MLBA's work to make the Minnesota legal profession a great place for GLBT lawyers and law students to thrive!

To download a PDF of a flyer for this event, please click here http://www.mnlavbar.org/UpcomingEvts.htm 

Seeking members interested in serving on Equal Justice Conference Planning Committee

Next year Minneapolis will be the site for the 2008 Equal Justice Conference, which is presented by the American Bar Association and the National Legal Aid and Defenders Association (the dates are April 16-19, 2008 at the Minneapolis Hilton). It is anticipated that as many as 750-1000 people will be attending from across the country. The Minnesota State Bar Association is pulling together a planning committee that will have a few responsibilities, specifically planning and fundraising for the closing night party as well as suggesting local speakers to the ABA/NLADA conference planners and finding ways to ensure the maximum local participation. The planning committee has representatives from legal aid and pro bono programs, local bars, law schools, MCLE, the judiciary, bar leadership, and law firms. The co-chairs will be appointed soon by MSBA president Patrick Kelly and we anticipate that the first committee meeting will be in April 2007. This will be a working committee and there will likely be subcommittees to accomplish different tasks.

If you are interested, please contact Kelly Just Olmstead at klolmstead@rkmc.com by March 9.
 

On Friday, April 27th, as part of the 13th Conference of the Asian Pacific American Law Faculty meeting, author and Professor of Law, Kenji Yoshino, will be speaking on his book, Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights. The forum for the presentation is a Public Square which will be held in the WMCL Auditorium from 6:00 - 7:30pm on April 27th.

Yale Law Professor Kenji Yoshino, gay and Asian-American, makes a unique literary link between autobiography and legal scholarship in his new book, Covering: The Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights. In a starred review, Publisher’s Weekly said, “At every step, he anticipates the reader's questions and rebuttals, answering them not only with acute reasoning, but with disarming humility. What emerges is an eloquent, poetic protest against the hidden prejudices embedded in American civil rights legislation — legislation that tacitly apologizes for ‘immutable’ human difference from the white, male, straight norm, rather than defending one's ‘right to say what one is.’

Please click here (http://www.wmitchell.edu/lectures/) to register for this event or to learn more about events at William Mitchell.
 

The Sylvia Rivera Law Project is seeking a Staff Attorney.

Mission
The Sylvia Rivera Law Project (SRLP) works to guarantee that all people are free to self-determine their gender identity and expression, regardless of income or race, and without facing harassment, discrimination, or violence. SRLP is a collective organization founded on the understanding that gender self-determination is inextricably intertwined with racial, social and economic justice. Therefore, we seek to increase the political voice and visibility of low-income people of color who are transgender, intersex, or gender non-conforming. SRLP works to improve access to respectful and affirming social, health, and legal services for our communities. We believe that in order to create meaningful political participation and leadership, we must have access to basic means of survival and safety from violence.

Responsibilities
The staff attorney will work on direct services, impact litigation, public education, policy work, and community organizing support to advance the rights of low-income transgender, intersex, and gender nonconforming people of color. The staff attorney will focus on the areas of discrimination in sex-segregated facilities (such as foster care group homes and homeless shelters), Medicaid coverage, name and gender changes on identity documents, and immigration. Responsibilities include all aspects of developing and pursuing impact litigation; supervising legal interns; providing direct services to a caseload of clients; drafting know your rights materials and conducting trainings of community members and service providers; negotiating with agencies to change policies that hurt our communities; and supporting campaigns of community organizing projects through such means as coordinating legal observing for actions or conducting on-site clinics. The staff attorney will also share general administrative and collective-wide duties with other staff. This position is currently temporary and available for one full year, with a possibility for continued permanent employment following the first year.

Qualifications
Required: Law degree
• Commitment to gender self-determination and racial and economic justice.
• Willingness to work in a collective environment with consensus-based decision-making.

Preferred:
• Fluency in Spanish and English
• Admission to practice in New York
• Substantial civil rights litigation and/or civil legal services experience.
• Familiarity with low-income transgender, intersex, and gender nonconforming communities of color.
• Public speaking experience
• Experience negotiating with government agencies.

Compensation
Consistent with our values as a collective, all full-time staff have the same base annual salary, currently $42,848. An increased salary is possible based on need, such as for people supporting family members. Three weeks vacation time, full medical and dental benefits, and payment of professional fees also included.The start date is April 2nd, 2007.

Application
To apply, please send a cover letter, resume, and writing sample by March 5, 2007 to:

Staff Attorney Hiring Committee
Sylvia Rivera Law Project
322 8th Ave., 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10001

People of color, trans people, women, people with intersex conditions, people who have lived in poverty, people with disabilities, immigrants, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer people are strongly encouraged to apply.