Lawyers for Good Government to Host Massive Counter-Inauguration Conference in DC to Coordinate New Movement and Plan Legal Resistance

New Organization of 120,000 Lawyers, Law Students, and Supporters Pledges Pro-Bono Resistance to “Bad Government,” Holding Major Planning Conference in DC Coinciding With Trump Inauguration

Lawyers for Good Government Commits to Defending Civil Rights and Using Pro-Bono Legal Advocacy to Push for a Government that Protects Human and Constitutional Rights of All Americans

WASHINGTON, DC –  On Saturday, January 21st and Sunday, January 22nd, members of Lawyers for Good Government, a new national organization of more than 120,000 lawyers, paralegals, law students and activists committed to doing pro-bono work to defend civil and human rights, and to establish a government designed to put the interests of the American people first, will assemble at the Rise Above conference in DC to coordinate the new movement and plan legal resistance to the incoming Trump Administration and Republican controlled Congress.  

The conference, planned and hosted by Lawyers for Good Government and RISE When We Fall, is designed to harness, empower and coordinate the unprecedented political energy that has emerged since Donald Trump won the Presidency and convert that momentum into a meaningful strategy to protect civil rights and vulnerable communities in the US. The conference begins on Saturday, January 21st, after the Women’s March on Washington and will feature a performance by Grammy Award-winning artist Ani DiFranco.

DAY ONE:

WHEN: Saturday, January 21st. 2:30PM – 8:00PM ET

WHERE: The Lincoln Theatre. 1215 U St NW, Washington, DC 20009

FEATURING A PERFORMANCE BY: Grammy Award-Winner Ani DiFranco

SPEAKERS INCLUDE: 6:00pm – 8:00pm ET

• The Electoral Map 2009 – 2016: Gerrymandering and Koch Money

  • Sam Munger – Senior Advisor & Director of Special Projects at State Innovation Exchange

• The Voting Rights Act and Voter Suppression Challenges

  • Kristen Clarke – President & Executive Director, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

• The Reality of 2018 and the Hope for 2020

  • March Schauer, National Democratic Redistricting Committee

• Critical Mass Required from State & Local Elections

  • Jamie Raskin – U.S. Representative (MD-08)

• Campaigns 101

  • Lucinda Guin – Vice President of Campaigns, Emily’s List

• Activism 101: Getting Started, Building Relationships, and Avoiding Burnout

  • ​Traci Feit Love – Founder, Lawyers for Good Government

• Activism 201: Sustaining a Movement

  • Dawn Laguens, Planned Parenthood

• Additional topics & speakers to be announced

DAY TWO:

WHEN: Sunday, January 22nd. 7:30am – 3:30pm ET

WHERE: The Mayflower Hotel. 1127 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036

PANELS INCLUDE:

• Communications Strategy in the Era of Fake News (8:30am – 9:55am)

  • Tracy Norton – Assoc. Professor, Touro Law Center (Moderator)

  • David M. Rothschild, PhD – Microsoft Research

  • Toby Chaudhuri – VP, PBS

• Protecting Civil Rights and Combating Hate Crimes (10:15am – 11:30am)

  • Anurima Bhargava – Harvard, Open Society Foundation

  • Joe Levin – Southern Poverty Law Center

  • James Gilliam – ACLU of Southern California

  • Michele Jawando – Center for American Progress

  • Maria Foscarinis – National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty

• Staying in Government under a Trump Administration (10:15am – 11:30am)

  • Sarah Holewinkski – CNAS

  • Maria Stephan – USIP

• Women’s Rights in 2017 and Beyond (10:15am – 11:30am)

  • Maja Hazel – White and Case (Moderator)

  • Kristien Hajduk – Co-Director, No Exceptions

  • Sandra Fluke – Social Justice Attorney

  • Dr. Sharon Camp – PAI

• Conflicts of Interest and Holding the President Accountable (10:15am – 11:30am)

  • Jonathan Lowy – The Brady Center (Moderator)

  • Deepak Gupta – Gupta Wessler PLLC

  • Joshua Matz – Russell, Robbins, LLP

• Supporting Defense, Diplomacy and Intelligence in a Trump Administration (1:00pm – 2:15pm)

  • Michael Breen – Truman National Security Project

  • Rose Jackson – Open Society Foundations

  • Tony Johnson – US Department of State (moderator)

  • Andy Kim – RISE When We Fall

• Campaigns that Speak to Local and Global Issues (1:00pm – 2:15pm)

  • Frank Spring, Truman National Security Project

• Confirmations and Supreme Court Nominations (1:00pm – 2:15pm)

  • Tom Goldstein, SCOTUSblog

  • Nan Aron, Alliance for Justice

  • Chris Kang – NCAPA

Lawyers for Good Government is one of the central groups leading counter-inauguration programming in DC.  Lawyers for Good Government is an official partner of the Women’s March on Washington and expects more than 1,200 members from across the country to participate in the March.

“In the wake of the 2016 election, an army of more than 120,000 lawyers, law students, and activists has risen up in defense of the values and democratic principles that make America a truly great nation,” explained Traci Feit Love, founder of Lawyers for Good Government. “We are a pro bono army ready and willing to fight alongside and on behalf of individuals and communities at risk under the new administration.”

Lawyers for Good Government was founded in the hours after the November election by Traci Feit Love, a Harvard Law School graduate and single mother who quickly gathered more than 122,000 lawyers and activists determined to challenge and resist the Trump Administration’s anticipated abuses of power and attacks on human rights.  Lawyers for Good Government started off as a post-election Facebook group that quickly grew into a massive organization of lawyers, with 48 chapters and members in all 50 states.

For more information about the Lawyers for Good Government, the upcoming Rise Above conference, or to speak with Traci Feit Love, please contact Brett Abrams at 516-841-1105 or by email at brett@unbendablemedia.com. For requests related to Ani DiFranco, please contact Karen Wiessen at karen@autonomicmedia.com.

 For more information about the Rise Above Conference, contact http://www.riseaboveconference.org/

Lawyers for Good Government Inc., led by founder Traci Feit Love, was created to harness the energy, passion, and skills of more than 120,000 lawyers, law students, and legal activists who joined together in the wake of the presidential election to fight for equality, justice, freedom, and democracy. Through a combination of legal advocacy, education, community outreach, and strategic partnerships, the organization’s mission is to ensure a just society and a government that works.