NAWJ Webinar - Citing Slavery Cases: Why Acknowledgment Matters

June 20, 2024
3:30 PM ET / 2:30 PM CT / 1:30 PM MT / 12:30 PM PT

Citing Slavery Cases: Why Acknowledgment Matters

Law was critical to the establishment and growth of American slavery. Judges authored thousands of appellate opinions on the subject, yet the influence of these cases remains underappreciated. This webinar, presented by NAWJ's Ensuring Racial Equity Committee, will explain how the law of slavery was constructed, why modern lawyers continue to rely on slave cases and principles derived from them, and why it is important for the legal profession to acknowledge and address this legacy.

Learning objectives:

1. How the law of slavery was constructed;
2. The historical role of law in promoting and establishing racism and racial discrimination; 
3. How the current legal profession continues to rely on cases and doctrine derived from slavery;
4. Why addressing and acknowledging the legacy of slavery matters. 

REGISTER HERE

Featuring:

Justin Simard, Associate Professor, Michigan State University College of Law

Justin Simard is an Associate Professor of Law at the Michigan State University College of Law. At MSU he teaches Professional Responsibility, Contracts, Commercial Law, and legal history and directs the Citing Slavery Project and the Kelley Institute for Ethics and the Legal Profession. His research traces the transactional work of lawyers in the nineteenth century and the legacy of the law of slavery. Professor Simard received his bachelor’s degree in History from Rice University, and he completed his Juris Doctor and Ph.D. programs at the University of Pennsylvania. His work has been published in journals including the Law and History Review, Law and Social Inquiry, the NYU Review of Law and Social Change, the Stanford Law Review, and the Journal of Southern History.