April 10, 2012 by Admin

NLG Chicago April Newsletter

Check out the latest NLG Chicago newsletter, with highlights from the 2012 Midwest Regional Conference and updates of chapter events, our Mass Defense Committee’s work, and Guild victories in the courts!Download PDF

March 2, 2012 by Admin

2012 NLG Midwest Regional Conference

2012 NLG Midwest Regional Conference:

Now’s the Time!

Rising Up for Human Rights

Save the date — March 23 to March 25! Join the Midwest region of the National Lawyers Guild for our annual conference in Chicago, hosted by Chicago-Kent NLG. Join the NLG Chicago Chapter and others from the Midwest as we gather together to reflect, learn, catch up, and recharge.

This year we will be focusing on the timely issues of mass incarceration, immigration, continued attacks on workers’ rights, protest, and more! There will be informative panels as well as a choice of practical workshops in the afternoon. More than ever it is time for us to come together and rise up as basic human rights are being attacked.

March 23-25, 2012

IIT Chicago-Kent School of Law

565 West Adams Street

Chicago, Illinois

Brief Schedule

Friday Night, March 23 | Welcome Social (hosted by Next Gen Chicago)
Saturday, March 24 | Conference
Sunday, March 25 | Caucuses & Trainings

Panels

Which Way Forward for the Guild: Legal Work for the Movement in Times of Change

Workers Fighting Back: Responses to Austerity, Attacks on Unions, and Economic Inequality

Stopping the School-to-Prison Pipeline: Keeping Kids Out of Prison

Legal Response to Mass Political Protest, NSSEs, and the NATO/G8

Workshops

Crimmigration 101: A Primer on Navigating the Immigration Consequences of Criminal Cases

How To Win Section 1983 Wrongful Conviction Cases

Registration

To register, go to: http://tinyurl.com/cknlg2012

For more information, click here!

February 16, 2012 by Admin

Update on February 16th Hearing on Occupy Chicago Motions to Dismiss

Dear Occupy Chicago Sisters and Brothers:

Today we returned to the Daley Center to address the matter of your bonds with Judge Donnelly. While he accepted the City’s position that there was proper authority to subject you to bond, he also granted our request to enlarge your bond to allow for travel outside the jurisdiction of the state. In other words: you are now free to travel outside Illinois at will. Please note, however, that you are still on bond, which should still be a consideration for any future arrests.

There was also a slight change made to the schedule of future court dates. The date for the hearing on the Motion to Strike Affidavits will be March 28th, instead of April 18th. It will once again be in Room 1307 at 1:30PM. All are welcome to attend, although not required to do so.

Finally, there will be a meeting for those of you who may be interested in pursuing a jury trial if the Motion to Dismiss is denied, on Sunday March 11th at 2PM at the Merchandise Mart. If you have not already done so, please contact occupychiattorney@gmail.com to be added to the list of possible defendants for the jury trial.

If you have any questions regarding any of these matters, please contact your attorney, or the National Lawyers Guild at www.nlgchicago.org. Thank you.

January 20, 2012 by Admin

Update on Occupy Chicago Motions to Dismiss

Dear Occupy Chicago defendants,

This message is being sent to all of the OC defendants who have filed motions to dismiss their charges.

You are encouraged to attend a meeting with your co-defendants and the National Lawyers Guild at 2pm on Sunday, February 5th at the Merchandise Mart, Suite 400. This could be the only time before the hearing on the motions to dismiss to meet face-to-face with your co-defendants and the attorneys involved.

Some of what will be discussed at the Feb. 5th meeting:
— Details about the hearing on the motions to dismiss
— Details about moving ahead with jury trials and other legal options if the motions to dismiss are denied

Other details to know:
— The city replied to the motions to dismiss on January 20th and the Guild has until February 10th to respond (this requires no action on your part)
— The hearing on the motions to dismiss will be held on February 15th at 1:30pm before Judge Wright in Room 1307 of the Daley Center, 50 W. Washington Street in Chicago

IMPORTANT: You are NOT required to be at the February 15th court hearing, but you may want to attend in order to help pack the courtroom and show collective strength.

We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the meeting on Feb. 5th at the Merchandise Mart.

In solidarity,

The National Lawyers Guild