Clinical and Pro Bono Programs

Providing clinical and pro bono opportunities to Harvard Law School students

Tag: Harvard Prison Legal Assistance Project (page 2 of 2)

Event: Talk on Solitary Confinement with Professor Midekssa

November 6, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Just added to the calendar for Thu, Nov 8! The Harvard Prison Legal Assistance Project (PLAP) is hosting a conversation with Professor Birtukan Midekssa about her own experience in solitary confinement. A former federal judge and leader of the pro-democracy opposition party in Ethiopia, she was sentenced to life in prison in 2005 after her party won an unprecedented number of seats in parliamentary elections. She was released from prison in 2010.

What: Talk on Solitary Confinement with Professor Midekssa
When: Thu, Nov 8, 12–1pm
Where: WCC 3019
Note: Indian food will be served

Snapshot: A Quote a Day Keeps the PLAP Doctor Away

June 6, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Today’s “Snapshot” is courtesy of Harvard Prison Legal Assistance Project (PLAP) Project Archivist Molly Frazier.

The more we dig through once-forgotten boxes, the more we see PLAP’s long-standing appreciation for office humor and creative flair. Check out these colorful 4×6 note cards displaying PLAP “Quotes of the Day”. Originally penned in the mid-1980s to add a little color to the office, these student-created quotes spark controversy and poke fun at the prison system, the legal profession, and other hot topics. We’ve selected a smattering of some of our favorites. Let us know what you think, or, if you’re so inclined, keep the tradition alive and share your own!

Our PLAP predecessors definitely had not seen the likes of the new WCC building. Hell, it's definitely not.

Prison Disciplinary Board Members say the darnedest things…

PLAPpers know better than to wear jeans and sneakers into the prisons!

Words to live by…

Cedar Junction, a maximum security prison also known as MCI-Walpole, is "home sweet home" to over 800 male inmates.

Someone in the legal profession must always think on his or her feet…

The King knows how to start a party!

Snapshot: Rajan Sonik Awarded ACC-Northeast Law Student Ethics Award

April 20, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Rajan Sonik accepts his ACC-Northeast Law Student Ethics Award

Congratulations to Rajan Sonik, who was recently awarded the ACC-Northeast Law Student Ethics Award. During his time at HLS, Rajan participated in the Health Law and Policy Clinic, the Education Law Clinic of the Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative, the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinic, and the Harvard Prison Legal Assistance Project (where he is currently co-executive director). To top it off, he has completed over 2000(!) pro bono hours over the past three years.

We wish Rajan the very best as he starts work later this year at Medical-Legal Partnership | Boston on an Equal Justice Works Fellowship.

Event: PLAP Reunion and Trip Down Memory Lane

April 18, 2012 / / 0 Comments

3Ls Paul Chapman and Brent Boos demonstrate the enduring popularity of facial hair at PLAP

In anticipation of this weekend’s Harvard Prison Legal Assistance Project (PLAP) reunion, Project Archivist Molly Frazier has been digging up treasures from the archive. Next up: pictures and reunion details!

As we’ve explored in recent posts, some things change at PLAP (offices, fashion) while others stay the same (foraging for food, making playlists, sporting beards). Now there’s photographic evidence. Enjoy a few photos from the archive (below) in anticipation of the 40th Anniversary Celebration on April 20 and 21.

We all know that seeing how your classmates have fared (and aged) over the years is one of the key motivating factors for attending a reunion. But more importantly, PLAP’s 40th Anniversary Celebration will be a great opportunity to mingle and network with PLAP alums and current students, check out our new office space, and reminisce about your days at HLS! Here are the details:

Reception & Open House
Fri, Apr 20, 6-8pm
Wasserstein Hall, Caspersen Student Center, Clinical Wing & PLAP Office (Suite 5107)

The Long Road for Prison Justice: PLAP’s Lasting Impact (Panel Discussion)
Sat, Apr 21, 2:15-3:30pm
Austin Hall, Ames Courtroom

For more information, please visit the PLAP website.

1980-81 PLAP Board

PLAP in the classroom

PLAP loves a good house party. This cat, not so much.

Vintage PLAP sign from the 1970s

Student Voices: Eating Well in the Mississippi Delta

April 9, 2012 / / 1 Comment

Delta Fellow Nate Rosenberg and Rob Barnett (JD ’14) tour Leann Hines’s Levee Run Farm, which raises poultry in Greenwood, Mississippi

Today’s dispatch comes from Rob Barnett (JD ’14), who traveled to Mississippi during spring break as part of a pro bono trip organized by Harvard Law School. Rob is a member of Prison Legal Assistance Project (PLAP) a trained mediator with Harvard Mediation Program, and is interested in American Indian law

Over spring break, I was lucky to travel to the Mississippi Delta on a pro bono trip with eight other law students from Harvard and Ole Miss. As Kimberly’s post describes, we spent an unforgettable week researching property law, making friends, and immersing ourselves in the culture and climate of the Delta. We experienced a lot – everything from a one-man blues concert at Red’s to an all-day study session at Ole Miss Law School – and learned even more in the process. But one element of our trip really stood out: the food.

Of course, we consumed a ton of it. Starting with a visit to Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken in downtown Memphis; continuing through visits to acclaimed Clarksdale restaurants like Abe’s (the best BBQ in all of Mississippi), Oxbow (a lunch spot that actually serves vegetarian options), and the Ground Zero Blues Club (where everything comes fried and with music); and finishing with elegant feasts at Snackbar in Oxford and Rendezvous in Memphis, we ate our way through the Delta… and washed it down with many glasses of Southern Pecan and sweet tea. It was a wonderful week of savory Southern cuisine.

Food is an amazing part of Delta culture. However, residents of the Delta don’t always have access to the kinds of fresh food we had at Mississippi’s best restaurants. Although the Delta has some of the country’s richest soil, the vast majority of it is used by to grow the big industrial crops – corn, cotton, and soy – much of which is exported outside the Delta. There are small growers throughout the Delta who are trying to grow local, sustainable, and healthy food, but these farmers often have trouble getting established in the face of confusing property issues and stiff competition from cheaper, less healthy alternatives.

Our work over spring break was designed to address these property issues. In order for small, local farms to be prosperous into the future, their owners should understand how estate plans, clear titles, and various easements can secure their land as farmland for generations to come. Our presentations to Delta farmers on our last day – and the accompanying legal manual we created – were designed with that goal in mind. We also made some policy suggestions for our partners (such as Delta Directions) who continue to work on these important issues in Mississippi.

We finally had to leave the Delta to return to Cambridge, and I know I can speak for my team in saying that we’ve all been craving some delicious Delta food ever since. (I, for one, am hoping to go back.) But in the meantime, it’s critical that the people who actually live in the Delta have access, every day, to the kind of local, sustainable food which we had during our week. I hope and believe that our work in the Delta over spring break will help them get there.

Erin Schwartz (JD ’14) examines vegetables grown in C.W. ‘Doc’ Davis’s greenhouse

HLS group members enjoy a final Southern meal of ribs and sweet tea at Rendezvous in Memphis

Snapshot: PLAP Mix Tape from 1991

April 5, 2012 / / 1 Comment

Recognize the mix tape’s creator? It's none other than Lisa Dealy, the Assistant Dean of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs, back in her PLAP days!


Today’s “Snapshot” comes from the Prison Legal Assistance Project (PLAP) archives, which Project Archivist Molly Frazier has been diligently organizing.

While sorting through over 40 years of material, PLAP has uncovered another relic from the dark ages — a PLAP mix tape created in April 1991. A mix tape, you say? How quaint! But, it’s not your typical mix tape, full of gushy love songs. Not unless you consider “Psycho Killer”, “Back on the Chain Gang”, “Fight the Power”, and other warm-and-fuzzy favorites “romantic”. This tape definitely warrants a listen… at a loud volume.

But instead of making limited edition copies to distribute to the rare individuals who still have tape decks, we thought we’d bring music sharing into the 21st century. So, for your listening pleasure, we’ve created a 1991 PLAP playlist on Spotify. Don’t be surprised if you start feeling like going up against the Massachusetts Department of Corrections Disciplinary Board after a few tracks.

Not to be outdone by previous Administrative Director Lisa Dealy (now the Assistant Dean of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs), PLAP’s current Administrative Director Sarah Morton has created a 2012 PLAP playlist on Spotify based on suggestions from 2011-2012 PLAPers. While some things change at PLAP, others stay the same, including a common love of The Clash, Talking Heads, and foraging for free food.

Feeling a little nostalgic? Then don’t forget to save the date for:

PLAP’s 40th Anniversary Celebration – Open House & Reception in WCC
Fri, Apr 20 at 6pm

Panel Conversation
Sat, Apr 21, 2:15-3:30pm

Stay tuned for additional details!

Somehow a photo of a Spotify playlist just isn't the same

Student Voices: Learning About Land Rights in Mississippi

April 3, 2012 / / 1 Comment

Jamal Khan (HLS ’13), Jack West (Ole Miss ’13), and Rob Barnett (HLS ’14) at the Mississippi River after a day of research

Today’s “Student Voices” post comes from Kimberly Newberry (JD ’14), who traveled to Mississippi during an HLS pro bono spring break trip. Kimberly is a member of PLAP and Harvard Defenders, and plans to go into capital appeals.

The Mississippi Delta is populated by more juke joints than Starbucks (and rightly so as the birthplace of the blues). Nightly strolls are accompanied by the faint strums of guitar in the distance and you can imagine how Robert Johnson allegedly sold his soul to the devil right in the middle of it all. The blues are part of a shared cultural identity among the Delta’s inhabitants, and there is still plenty of heartache to keep the musical tradition alive.

Six of us headed down from HLS to Clarksdale, Mississippi for spring break, where we were joined by Ole Miss students. We were surprised to find that a lot of the regional heartache stemmed from concepts we had covered in our 1L Property classes – easements, color of title, types of estates, and even adverse possession (when a person who is not the legal owner of land can become its owner after having occupied it for a specified period of time). The seemingly difficult task of adversely taking someone’s land is frequently accomplished in parts of Mississippi, and with serious impact on the lives of farmers. From disputes between siblings about what to do with inherited land to questions about how to preserve farmland well into the future, we saw our textbooks come to life.

We also learned about the challenges faced by small, family-owned farms. A few days into our trip, we met with Dustin and Ali, two young farmers whose business growth is constrained by regulations designed for industrial farms but that also apply to them. As a result of Dustin and Ali’s commitment to sustainable farming, they run their farm under different standards than those adhered to by commercial sellers and, as a consequence, cannot sell their goods to larger, more popular grocery stores. These mandatory standards are both prohibitively expensive and largely inapplicable to small-scale sustainable farming, to the detriment of the availability of locally and sustainably grown food. As Dustin put it, “We vote for our president once every four years, but we vote for what to put in our bodies three times a day. And what we vote for today will affect our children tomorrow.” Prior to running their own farm, Dustin and Ali interned at Polyface Farms, which is featured in Michael Pollen’s book The Omnivore’s Dilemma.

After seeing how the issues of inheritance, ownership, and land use impacted the lives of residents, we had the opportunity to conduct additional research and then present a tutorial to the farmers. When the workshop was over, the farmers compared notes and shared their experiences with each other. Much was left unanswered but we appreciated the opportunity to learn more about property rights in Mississippi, contribute our knowledge, make a few friends, and soak in the culture and music of the Delta.

Recent Coverage of HLS Pro Bono Trips
Event HLS Students Discuss Spring Break Trip to Alabama
Student Voices: Collaboration and Community in Alabama
Student Voices: Anti-Immigration Law in Alabama (Video)

Julian Smoller (HLS ’12) gives a presentation to Mississippi growers about conservation easements

HLS students collaborated with Ole Miss Law students to host a workshop for local farmers

Snapshot: PLAP Forages for Food Through the Decades

March 21, 2012 / / 0 Comments

PLAP students have been honing the art of finding free food for decades. (Good Timez, 1984)

Today’s “Snapshot” comes from Prison Legal Assistance Project (PLAP). PLAP is a student practice organization (SPO) at Harvard Law School dedicated to providing legal services to indigent Massachusetts Prisoners. 130 students are participating in PLAP this year, and PLAP students clocked over 3700 pro bono hours during the 2010-2011 school year.

As the part-time Project Archivist for PLAP, Molly Frazier has reviewed and organized 40 years of PLAP office materials. During the process, PLAP treasures – like humorous writings, artwork, photographs, student correspondence, and other colorful snapshots of history – have seen the light of day for the first time in years. It’s clear that when PLAP students weren’t busy answering phones, preparing for cases, visiting prisons and representing prisoners, they were having a little fun as well!

A lot can change in nearly 30 years. Clothing styles. Music tastes. Tuition costs. But it’s good to know that for PLAP students, some things never change. If these excerpts from the 1984 student-produced PLAP newsletter, Good Timez, are any indication, “free food for the mooching” has long been a PLAP priority. And today’s dedicated PLAPers have carried on the tradition with pride. Much needed nourishment can always be found by trolling the hallowed halls of HLS in between classes and activities, the hunt made all the more rewarding in the new Wasserstein Caspersen Student Center. One thing does appear to have changed since 1984 – the quality of foraged food. Students these days are enjoying much more than just the pilfered donut (a recurring theme in Good Timez).

As PLAP’s Internal Relations Coordinator and HLS Free-Food Aficionado Roozbeh Alavi (JD ’13) explains, the art of finding free food is a strategic combination of planning ahead, doing the research, and being in the right place at the right time. Using the Calendar @ Law and past experiences as a guide, Roozbeh can easily determine which HLS events are likely to offer the best food, with minimal commitment. His best advice to students seeking sustenance during study breaks: “Skip the talk; get the food.” What’s not to like about a free lunch?

More musings on free food from the PLAP archives. Plus an invite to pester Daria in her new home. (Good Timez, 1984)

Clinical Events: Mar 5-9

March 6, 2012 / / 0 Comments

There’s always an event (or two or three) to attend at HLS. A few clinical events are highlighted below but for a complete listing of HLS events, please visit the HLS calendar.

Harvard Legal Aid Bureau 1L Info Session
Tue, Mar 6, 6–7:30pm
Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, 23 Everett Street

Stop by the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau (HLAB) – the nation’s oldest student legal services organization – to learn more about the application process, the types of cases handled by HLAB, and the HLAB community.

Contesting Childhood: When Law and Politics Go to School
Thu, Mar 8, 12–1pm
WCC 4133

Harvard Law School SJD Candidate Lisa Kelly discusses mandatory schooling in North America and how the seeds of “family privacy” were sewn – and retroactively invented – in response to the shifting relationship between family and state.

Hosted by the Child Advocacy Program.

HLS Advocates for Education Conference – Closing the School to Prison Pipeline: Redirecting our Future
Thu, Mar 8, 9am–6pm
WCC, Milstein East ABC

The HLS Advocates for Education Conference will take a multidisciplinary approach to evaluating the issues that contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline while discussing potential solutions. Professor James Forman Jr. of Yale Law School will be the keynote speaker.

Co-sponsors include Child and Youth Advocates (CYA), Harvard Prison Legal Assistance Project (PLAP), Harvard Defenders, La Alianza, Black Law Students Associations (BLSA), Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review (CRCL), Women’s Law Association (WLA), and Harvard Mississippi Delta Project.

Newer posts

© 2018 Clinical and Pro Bono Programs

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑