The Cooley ACS Tampa Bay Chapter is hosting a Welcome Happy Hour to bring together current members and prospective members for networking, community building, and chapter engagement. This event will provide attendees the opportunity to meet our Executive Board, connect with fellow law students and legal professionals, and discuss issues and initiatives that the chapter aims to explore throughout the year. Attendees will also have the chance to brainstorm ideas for future events while enjoying light refreshments. Our faculty advisor, Joseline Hardrick, may join to provide guidance and share insights on the chapter’s vision. This event is an important step in strengthening our chapter’s presence, fostering collaboration, and encouraging active participation from members.
Protecting Dissent: First Amendment and Protest Rights
This panel examines how the First Amendment regulates protest, policing, and public dissent, and equips students with practical tools to defend speech and assembly rights in real time. The American Constitution Society and the National Lawyers Guild at the William S. Boyd School of Law will host a moderated discussion featuring:
Jacob T.S. Valentine (he/him), Staff Attorney, ACLU,
Frank Rudy Cooper, William S. Boyd Professor of Law and Director of the Program on Race, Gender & Policing, and
Shaelyn Dieter, Clark County Public Defender’s Office, with a student moderator.
Speakers will address First Amendment-related litigation, criminal procedure defenses, police authority and limits, and the legal strategies lawyers use to protect demonstrators and communities facing arrest or surveillance.
The event is open to law students, faculty, and community advocates interested in civil rights, criminal defense, and movement lawyering.
Co-sponsors include ACS and NLG. RSVP will be open to the Boyd community and local advocates to support broad participation and dialogue.
Register via Zoom: https://unlv.zoom.us/meeting/register/PolpcZMeT7KZmyMJFV0_kQ
Lunch Talk with Dee Farmer
Join the American Constitution Society, the Equal Justice Society, and OutLaw for a discussion with Dee Farmer, the plaintiff in the landmark 1994 prisoners' rights case Farmer v. Brennan, on the state of transgender rights in prison under the present administration.
Civic Champions: Alumni in Local Government
ACS invites you to join us in welcoming John Michelli, a current Fairfax County Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney, U.S. Coast Guard veteran, GMU Law 2024 graduate, former Arlington County Circuit Court clerk, EIC of the George Mason Law Review, and President of GMU Law's ACS Chapter. We'll learn about the clerkship application process and navigating a career in local government while promoting progressive Constitutional values. Shawarmas will, of course, be served, with a falafel vegan option available.
Making Room for Belief: Religious Accommodations in American Law
The Georgia State University College of Law Student Chapter of the American Constitution Society, in partnership with the Christian Legal Society and the Law & Philosophy Forum, will host a panel discussion on religious accommodations in American law. The conversation will explore the historical relationship between the common law and religion, as well as the modern legal framework governing religious accommodation in the United States. Panelists will discuss how courts and employers navigate conflicts between religious belief and workplace obligations under federal statutory law and the Constitution, along with recent developments shaping this area of law.
The panel will feature Professor Ryan Rowberry (Georgia State University College of Law), James McCabe (Employment Attorney), and Meeta Dama (Employment Attorney). Drawing on perspectives from both legal practice and academia, the discussion will examine the historical foundations of religious accommodation and the contemporary challenges of balancing religious liberty with other legal rights and institutional responsibilities in a diverse and pluralistic society.
WashU Law: Public Interest Fellowships 101
Join ACS, the Plaintiff's Law Society, and Public Service Advisory Board for an introductory conversation on public-interest fellowships and plaintiff-side career pathways. This event will focus on opportunities centered on workers’ rights, civil rights, and impact litigation, and is designed to give students a clearer understanding of the post-graduate fellowship landscape-- including project-based, hosted, and organizational fellowships.
Panelists will discuss how to prepare competitive fellowship applications, what plaintiff-side practice looks like across organizations and firms, and how to identify supportive, mission-aligned workplaces. The conversation will also highlight the accessibility of these career paths for students from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.