The Legal Observer program® is part of a comprehensive legal support system for our Mass Defense Committee, designed to allow people to express their political views as fully as possible without unconstitutional or police interference and with the least possible consequences of the criminal justice system. In addition to legal observers®, guild lawyers often provide legal defense for arrested protesters and file civil lawsuits if necessary. Legal observers® are usually, but not exclusively, law students, legal staff, and lawyers, who may or may not be licensed locally. Legal observers are trained and led by guild lawyers who have often established lawyer-client® relationships with activist organizations or are in litigation that challenges police tactics at mass rallies. The presence of legal observers can have a deterrent effect on unconstitutional® behaviour by law enforcement during a demonstration. To request legal observers® for an upcoming event, contact the National Office. The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) Legal Observer program is part of a comprehensive legal aid system designed to enable people to express their political opinions as fully as possible without unconstitutional or police interference and with the least possible consequences of the criminal justice system. Email chicago.lo.program [at] gmail.com! We encourage organizers to contact us as early as possible before the action so that we can improve our ability to engage our volunteers. We consider your request to Legal Observers to be a privileged® legal communication and the information provided will be treated confidentially in accordance with applicable law. The next Legal Observer Training will be held online: nlg.org/11085-2 Get trained as a Legal Observer! Request training for legal observers by filling out the form below. Legal observers® are usually, but not exclusively, law students, legal staff, and lawyers, who may or may not be licensed locally. Legal observers are trained and led by guild lawyers who have often established relationships with activist organizations or questioned police tactics during political protests® in legal disputes.

For more information about our legal observer program or to request specific training, send an email ohio@nlg.org. The main task of the legal observer® is to be the eyes and ears of the legal team – to observe and record incidents and law enforcement activities in relation to protesters. NLG (LO) legal observers are not part of the demonstration. ALs observe and document interactions between law enforcement and protesters in anticipation of future civil or criminal proceedings conducted by NLG lawyers. NLG legal observers do not negotiate with law enforcement agencies, provide legal advice, or serve as commissioners of the peace. Are you committed to helping people exercise their speech, opinion, and assembly on the First Amendment? Become a legal observer® and provide cutting-edge legal support. Complete the form below at least two (2) weeks prior to the date of your choice to request training. We will answer you to confirm our availability. Please note that the National Lawyers Guild – NYC requires legal observers to be legal partners, law students, or lawyers.

The legal observer trainings last about one hour. Ask? Please call the NLG-NYC office at 212-679-6018. If you wish to participate in our Legal Observer program, you must complete an online training course and submit an application (which will be provided at the time of the training). We announce the dates and times of our legal observer trainings via our local mailing list. To subscribe to the mailing list, please email dcmassdefense@gmail.com. Legal observers do not give legal, tactical, or political advice, negotiate with police to recruit protesters, or speak to the press or the public on behalf of protesters. Legal observers do not intervene in any way in arrests or police activities. NOTE: Legal observers do not give legal, tactical or political advice®, negotiate with police for protesters, or speak to the press or the public for protesters. Specific exceptions to these rules must be negotiated in advance.

We do not intervene in arrests. We do not share confidential information about individuals or groups. Our notes, photographs, video, audio and digitally recorded documents are privileged and protected. LOs include lawyers, paralegals, lawyers and law students who have participated in training supervised by lawyers. The training emphasizes professionalism, ethics, non-violence and the requirement that non-lawyers avoid unauthorized practice of the law. While NLG legal observers are typically law students, lawyers, and lawyers, the training is open to anyone – EXCEPT those working for or with government or law enforcement agencies – who wish to be trained and serve as NLG legal observers. Legal observer training courses are also closed to the media. Please be prepared to provide detailed information about the event.

We only send requests to our network of legal observers if an application has been properly processed by NLG staff and sufficient information has been provided. Training of legal observers® takes place several times a year in various parts of the country. If you are interested in becoming an NLG Legal Observer®, contact your nearest section to find out more about the upcoming training or to arrange one for your chapter or school. The student chapter of the National Lawyer`s Guild (NLG) organizes training courses for legal observers that teach students proper procedures for monitoring protests and public demonstrations. Throughout the year, CUNY law students, along with other New York City legal observers, monitor various protests and demonstrations to ensure that constitutionally protected freedom of speech is not unlawfully curtailed and to deter and document illegal and potentially dangerous law enforcement behavior. Our office will be closed on September 5, 2022 on Labour Day. If you have any questions, please email locoordinator@nlg-la.org If you are interested in taking legal observer® training, please email chicago.lo.program [at] gmail.com. This includes documenting any arrests, use of force, intimidating violence, denial of access to public spaces such as parks and sidewalks, and any other law enforcement behavior that appears to limit protesters` ability to express their political views. This documentation is comprehensive and professional so that lawyers representing detainees or generally prosecuting the police can objectively assess the constitutionality of government conduct. The information gathered by legal observers has contributed to a very successful record of defending and promoting protesters` rights, including in criminal trials and several major lawsuits against federal and local governments® for their unconstitutional actions. The Ohio chapter of the National Lawyers Guild requires that all applications from legal observers be filed AT LEAST a full week in advance.

We will try to accommodate all requests from legal observers; However, we cannot guarantee that legal observers will be available. To request NLG legal observers for your demonstration: NLG Chicago legal observers® are trained and approved professionals. The liaison offices operate under the supervision of the Legal Observer Program® Coordinators, who are lawyers licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois. The program strives to establish and maintain principled relationships of trust with activists and organizations requesting legal observers®. The National Lawyers Guild Legal Observer Program® was founded in New York City in 1968 in response to protests at Columbia University and anti-war and civil rights protests throughout the city. That same year, the guild`s students organized to defend people who were swept up in mass arrests at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. NLG Legal Observers documents arrests during a #NoDAPL protest® in New York, 2016.