Harvard Black Law Students Association

Build, Lead, Serve and Advocate.

Harvard Law School

Speaker Series: James O’Neal – 3/22

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NON-TRADITIONAL SPEAKER SERIES feat JAMES O’NEAL, CO-FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF LEGAL OUTREACH

Professional Development
Tuesday, March 22, 12pm, Room TBA
RSVP to Professional Development

Come join HBLSA Alum, James O’Neal, for lunch as he shares his career path and experiences post-HLS. James is the Co-founder and Executive Director of Legal Outreach, a non-profit organization that uses intensive legal and educational programs to prepare urban youth from underserved communities in NYC to compete at high academic levels. This is a wonderful opportunity to ask any burning questions about pursuing a career in the public interest and to build a relationship with one of our amazing HBLSA Alumni! You must RSVP in order to attend. Please email HBLSAProfessionalDevelopment@gmail.com to secure your spot. The seats will be available on a first come, first serve basis.

Spring Dinner Parties – March & April

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Social
March-April
HBLSA members’ homes

Get to know some of your fellow HBLSA members in a cozy, informal setting. Social Committee is paying for several HBLSA members to host dinner parties in their homes throughout late March and April!

Please email HBLSASocialCommittee@gmail.com if you are interesting in hosting around 10 people in your home. You can cook as a group or order in–watch movies, talk, or just enjoy each other’s company!

Please email HBLSASocialCommittee@gmail.com as well if you are interested in attending a dinner party. Once we have a list of hosts and attendees, we’ll send out more details on dates, times, and locations.

Charity Cultural Showcase – 4/7

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Social
April 7, 2011, Time TBA
Pound Hall, Ropes Gray

CALLING ALL TALENT!!!

Are you a dancer, singer, lyricist, musician, actor, or performer of any kind? If so, we would love for you to show off your talents at HBLSA’s annual talent show! Please email HBLSASocialCommittee@gmail.com for details and to let us know if you’re interested in performing. The show will be co-sponsored by several other HLS organizations.

HLS Trial Advocacy Team Wins National Competition in Puerto Rico

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December 09, 2010

Harvard Law School became the first-ever repeat-winner of the National Puerto Rico Trial Advocacy Competition.

Returning as defending champions, the Harvard Law School Trial Team advanced to the semi-finals with the highest score and remained undefeated throughout the competition, edging out Georgetown Law in the final round to win first place. The prestigious “invitation- only” competition was sponsored by the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico School of Law and the Puerto Rico Bar Association October 28-30.

The Harvard team was sponsored and coached through the auspices of the Law School’s Criminal Justice Institute. The team included 3L’s Mostafa Abdelkarim and Nneka Ukpai and 2L’s Anthony Hendricks and Ieshaah Murphy.

In addition to the team victory, Murphy and Ukpai together secured a total of 8 Perfect Score Awards and were recognized as Best Advocates in the competition.

In this year’s mock case, a recently paroled convict was charged with murder and armed robbery. The prosecution’s witnesses were two decorated police officers who testified that the defendant confessed multiple times to the murder. The defense witnesses were the defendant’s parents as alibi witnesses. The defense team also had the option to call the defendant. Hendricks and Abdelkarim represented the prosecution while Murphy and Ukpai represented the defendant.

“We are extremely grateful for the support of Dean Minow and the Criminal Justice Institute,” said Ukpai. “We competed against some very skilled adversaries but with the training, patience, and commitment of our coaches, Soffiyah Elijah and Dehlia Umunna, we triumphed to become the first school to ever win this competition twice.”

CJI Deputy Director Soffiyah Elijah and CJI Clinical Instructor Dehlia Umunna have coached other teams at the Law School to several other first place finishes in competitions in Massachusetts and New York.

The Criminal Justice Institute is the curriculum-based criminal law clinical program of Harvard Law School. Its mission is to educate students in becoming effective, ethical and zealous criminal defense lawyer-advocates through practice in representing indigent individuals involved in the Massachusetts court system as well as to research and present issues and debates about the criminal and juvenile justice systems in order to effect local and national reform.

[Originally reported: http://www.law.harvard.edu/news/2010/12/09_trial-advocacy-competition.html]

NEBLSA Regional Convention — 1/26-1/30

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NEBLSA REGIONAL CONVENTION: “BUILDING ON EXCELLENCE” Equipping You with Tools to Fulfill Your Destiny
January 26-30, 2011
Contact Leah at hblsaexternalvicepresident@gmail.com

Join NEBLSA at the renowned MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Mashantucket, CT for the 2011 Northeast Black Law Students Association Regional Convention. Our annual convention will be held from January 26-30, 2011 and will bring together BLSA members from 33 different law schools in the Northeast Region.

The convention will include: election of next year’s Regional Officers, the Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competitions, the Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition, the Chapter of the Year Award, Recognition of Outstanding BLSA Members, Informative Workshops, Inspirational Speakers, College Student Division Programming, Career Fair, Networking with Practicing Attorneys and Judges, Opportunities to Network with Practitioners, Themed Luncheons, Receptions, Banquets, Socials, Entertainment, and more!

If you would like to attend, please submit a Letter of Interest to Leah at hblsaexternalvicepresident@gmail.com. Your letter should explain why you want to attend the convention, note any intention to run for a regional office, and express the level of your participation in Harvard BLSA events. Please also include your willingness/ability to drive. Qualified delegates will be selected by lottery.

HBLSA Open Letter

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(Click here for PDF version)

November 29, 2010

To Whom It May Concern:

Members of the Harvard and Greater Boston community have come together to address an incident that
occurred at an after-party for the Harvard-Yale game on Saturday, November 20, 2010. During this
incident, a group of primarily black patrons were asked to leave a downtown Boston nightclub. Others
on the guest list were refused entrance altogether.

Upon arrival at the party location, Cure Lounge, partygoers were required to provide a Harvard ID in
addition to valid state identification, despite the fact that their names were on an official list provided by
the party organizers. Those waiting in line were not put on notice of this additional requirement
beforehand, and in the wake of this, people who had pre-registered and paid to attend the event were
turned away at the door. Those patrons that did make it inside Cure Lounge eventually were asked to
leave the establishment. The party planners reported that “[M]anagement decided to shut the party down
as to avoid the hypothetical chance of attracting the ‘wrong crowd.’” This assumption was expressed as
the basis for their requirement of Harvard IDs. The implications of these statements and the collective
events of Saturday are beyond troubling.

Our united message is simple: Prejudicial assumptions and manifestations of racial and social inequality
are social justice issues that concern every group, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender or other societal
positioning. An affront to one member of our community is an affront to us all, and we will not stand for
close-minded behaviors or assumptions. We will not support or patronize any establishments that use
such assumptions as a basis for exclusion and/or discrimination. It is with this awareness and solidarity
that we stand together to fight injustice, whatever its form may be.

While the incident on November 20th was deeply disturbing, we recognize that it is not substantively
equal to issues that so many other people of color face in Boston and across the nation. The larger
community is still mourning the devastating loss of four individuals slain just a few short months ago in
Mattapan. The skyrocketing incarceration rates of minorities continue to leave voids in the families and
communities left behind. The recent cholera outbreak continues to wreak havoc on the people of Haiti,
and this impact resonates through the Boston area, which proudly boasts a robust Haitian community.

The reality is that discrimination and racial injustice know no boundaries. This recent incident is only
one narrative in a larger story of continued stereotyping and profiling that plagues countless Bostonians
and Americans; there is nothing special about the fact that many of the partygoers were from Harvard,
Yale and other educational institutions. We are not immune from the threat of bigotry and ignorance, but
we are committed to using this incident as a platform to draw attention to greater issues of injustice
occurring regionally and nationally.

We are writing this letter with the hope that it will provide a forum for candid, open and deliberative
conversations about societal inequities, the danger of stereotyping, and the ways people interact with
each other. It is our collective hope that as a community we will emerge more informed about issues of
injustice, more engaged with our fellow community members and more committed to not only acting
upon issues when they affect us personally, but also addressing them when they affect our neighbors.
More than ever, we recognize that injustice anywhere truly is a threat to justice everywhere. Today we
stand, committed to fighting that threat regardless of its form or intended victim.
Our efforts will not end here. Our resolve is strong. Our peers are engaged. We look forward to
expanding the dialogue on the impact of these issues on all people. We will work collaboratively to fight
back against prejudicial assumptions and manifestations of social inequality.

Sincerely,

Harvard Black Law Students Association
American Constitution Society- Harvard
Asian Pacific American Law Student Association- Harvard
Black Student Health Organization of Harvard School of Public Health
Harvard Caribbean Law Association
Harvard Graduate School of Education Black Student Union
Harvard Graduate School of Education Policy and Management
Harvard Immigration Project
Harvard Jewish Law Students Association
Harvard Journal of Law and Gender
Harvard Journal of Racial and Ethnic Justice
Harvard Lambda
Harvard Law and Health Care Society
Harvard Law School Advocates for Human Rights
Harvard Law School Alliance for Israel
Harvard Law School Justice for Palestine
Harvard NAACP
Harvard Law School National Lawyers Guild
Harvard Law School Student Bar Association
Harvard Law Students for Reproductive Justice
Harvard Transfer Student Organization
Massachusetts Black Women Attorneys
Middle East Law Students Association- Harvard
National Black Law Students Association
National Lawyers Guild- HLS Chapter
Prison Legal Assistance Project
Project No One Leaves
Scales of Justice A Cappella
South Asian Law Students Association- Harvard
Women’s Law Association- Harvard
More than 200 Individuals from the Harvard and Greater Boston Community

Click here for PDF version.

1L Job Fair – 12/1@6pm

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Professional Development
Wednesday, December 1, 6:00-8:00PM
Ropes Gray (Pound)

Please come out to the event to support Harvard BLSA! The 1L Job Fair is a signature event for the organization, and our firm sponsors are expecting to see BLSA members in attendance. Stop by and chat with your summer/future employer. Volunteer to help. Grab some firm swag. Be around to offer last-minute tips to 1Ls. Plus, it’s never too late to speak with recruiters about any possible openings for the summer class.

We look forward to seeing you all at the December Fair!  Please spread the word to your friends, including those who are not HBLSA members.  If you have questions, please email Lauren Moore, Chequan Lewis and Ieshaah Murphy at HBLSAProfessionalDevelopment@gmail.com.

Jazz Night – 12/2@8pm

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Social Committee
Thursday, December 2nd, 8pm-10pm
Conga Bar & Restaurant, 1 Eliot Street, Cambridge, MA
Cocktail attire

Come celebrate the end of the semester, the start of winter and the upcoming holiday season with HBLSA! Enjoy live jazz and free cocktails and h’ordeuvres with your HBLSA family at Conga in Harvard Square. Cocktail attire is requested. We hope to see you there!

Volunteer at the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter – 12/3

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Community Service
Friday, December 3rd
Time TBD

Next Friday, December 3rd, The Community Service Committee will be volunteering to serve dinner to the homeless at the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter. The time is TBD by this Monday. Anyone interested in going should email community service at hblsacommunityservice@gmail.com.

The Law Without Limits — 11/18@12pm

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THE LAW WITHOUT LIMITS: NON-TRADITIONAL LEGAL CAREERS SERIES feat MAYOR DENNIS ARCHER
Professional Development
Thursday, November 18th, 12-1pm
Hauser 101

Come join former Detroit Mayor, Dennis Archer, for lunch as he discusses his career path and experiences post-law school. Mayor Archer is currently a fellow at Harvard’s Institute of Politics. In addition to serving as Mayor of Detroit, he has also served on the Michigan Supreme Court and was the first African American elected as president of the American Bar Association. Mayor Archer is a graduate of Detroit College of Law. He has worked as a trial lawyer and partner at several law firms and served as an associate professor at the Detroit College of law, among other roles. This is a wonderful opportunity to ask any burning questions about pursuing a non-traditional career path, as Mayor Archer has had varied and diverse experiences in the legal field. You must RSVP in order to attend. Please email HBLSAProfessionalDevelopment@gmail.com to secure your spot. The seats will be available on a first come, first serve basis.

Harvard-Yale Weekend — 11/19-11/20

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Friday, November 19th-Saturday, November 20th

Come out for the following HBLSA events during Harvard/Yale weekend:

Friday, November 19: 5-6:30pm
HBLSA~YBLSA Mixer
1600 Mass. Ave, Apt. 603 (across the street from HLS), Cambridge, MA
Join us for wings and beer to welcome Yale BLSA to Harvard. We’ll eat, drink and mingle, then head to the HLS vs. YLS Court Classic basketball game (in which some of your fellow BLSA members are playing!) at Lavietes Pavilion at 6:30pm.  Lavietes Pavilion is where the Harvard basketball teams play across the river.

Saturday, November 20: 12-4pm
Tailgate After Party with HBLSA & AASU
Conga Bar and Restaurant, 1 Eliot St, Cambridge, MA
Once tailgating ends at the stadium, come party with the black grad community!  We’re collaborating once again with the African-American Student Union of the Harvard Business School to bring you the official tailgating after party.  We’ll be at Congas Restaurant starting at noon.  We’ll have a DJ, the Harvard v. Yale football game on the big screen, and food and drink will be available for cheap.  It will be so cold outside that you won’t want to miss this!

Saturday, November 20: 10pm-2am
Party at Cure, 246 Tremont St., Boston, MA
BLSA is taking over Boston! Join us at Cure for the livest party of Harvard/Yale weekend. We anticipate a packed house and lines, so get there early! If you weren’t one of the lucky 50 to get a free ticket, tickets can be purchased here: http://hyvictory2010.eventbrite.com.

Email Natalia and Danielle at hblsasocialcommitee@gmail.com with any questions.  Go Crimson!

BLSA/JLSA Event – 11/22@7pm

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BLSA/JLSA EVENT: WHO ARE YOUR PEOPLE? An Interactive Conversation about the History and Future of Black-Jewish Relations
Monday, November 22nd, 2010, 7:00-8:30PM
Langdell South

Who are Your People? Join us as we discuss issues of race and identity with the Jewish Law Students Association. The program will consist of video clips, readings, group discussion and, of course, snacks.
Questions? Contact Dee Dee Dixon at ddixon@jd11.law.harvard.edu