This year’s conference will bring together justice-oriented law students, lawyers, organizers, and scholars and will focus on the future of justice-oriented lawyering in the face of mounting systemic challenges and rising authoritarianism.
This page will change often with more details including information on speakers, panels, offerings, registration, and so on. You can find us at facingthefuture.net. or via this QR code.
The conference is being organized in partnership with the Systemic Justice Project, the People’s Parity Project, and the Law and Political Economy Project.
In this moment, many leftist law students and lawyers are grappling with the role of the law and what it means to do public interest lawyering in 2025. As the country reckons with the full implications of the incoming administration, our conference will provide space for these urgent conversations, assisted by leading scholars and practitioners.
The conference program will analyze the systemic issues connected to Trump’s second term and challenges facing justice-oriented lawyers of all types – from movement lawyers to impact litigators. Panel discussions will showcase innovative strategies being pioneered by lawyers across different areas of the law and analyze lessons learned.
The conference will engage with the critical questions of what long-term leftist organizing should look like? And what role should lawyers play in that future planning? Ultimately the conference strives to provide inspiration, critical reflection and community for advocates seeking to find their place in the fight for democracy and justice.