Equal Justice University 2025

This interactive session will provide participants with the legal foundations and advocacy strategies to advocate for students facing school discipline and related delinquency charges in challenging circumstances. We will cover the due process discipline rights of all students facing suspension or expulsion in school settings. The session will also cover the rights, protections, and supports afforded to students with disabilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA).  Participants will learn strategies for developing a strong discipline case from case selection and investigation through hearings and appeals. Participants will also have an opportunity to develop advocacy strategies for use in challenging discipline cases that may lead to charges in juvenile court, with a focus on advocacy in Threats of Mass Violence cases. Although the session will highlight Threats of Mass Violence cases, the principles will apply to any school discipline cases and related juvenile charges.

Learning Objectives:

1. Learn the due process rights of students facing school discipline  
2. Understand the protections afforded to students facing discipline by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA).
3. Develop legal and advocacy skills to address challenging disciplinary cases in schools and in juvenile court

Artificial intelligence (AI), algorithms, and related technologies are used extensively by governments, employers, landlords, educators, and others to make key decisions about the lives of low-income people, usually with devastating consequences. This session will explore the ways AI is determining how low-income people work, live, learn, and survive--implicating substantive issue areas of benefits, employment, housing, education, domestic violence, and child welfare--and introduce ways advocates can identify and oppose them.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will learn to identify the various ways AI is used to make decisions about key aspects of low-income people’s lives.
2. Participants will learn the primary obstacles to effective advocacy involving AI-related issues.
3. Participants will learn the general legal claims applicable to AI-related issues.

Because conflict is often an emotion-based dispute, it is essential for resolvers of conflict to monitor their own emotions throughout the process.  Therefore, knowledge about emotional intelligence can provide tools to ensure emotions do not derail the mediation process.  Emotional intelligence can be developed at any age and is based on a five-phase pyramid (like Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs) where one develops the first level and proceeds up the pyramid.  The five core components are self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, empathy and social skills/effective communication.  Knowledge about emotional intelligence can provide tools to ensure emotions (of the parties and the conflict resolver) do not derail the process and, by engaging in active listening, conflict resolvers can effectively respond to and monitor the emotions of participants.  Often times the key to resolving conflict is identifying and understanding the emotional needs that create each person's positions.  By building our own emotional intelligence, we become more effective communicators, we actively listen, we better understand the perspectives of all involved (empathy), we develop strong problem-solving skills, we create more durable agreements, and we build stronger, healthier relationships. Primary Resource:  Daniel Goleman's 1995 book "Emotional Intelligence"

Learning Objectives:

1. To encourage attendees to develop their own emotional intelligence. 
2. To motivate attendees to "model" strong emotional skills which will motivate others to build their own EQ. They will "see" the "benefits" of EQ>
3. By being emotionally intelligent, conflict resolvers will assist individuals in creating efficient, effective, and respectful resolutions.

Restoring a person’s citizenship rights after a felony conviction can be daunting. This session will offer a legislative update explaining the significant changes in the law that is now in effect. The session will examine each of the five citizenship rights lost when a person has a felony conviction.

Learning Objectives:

1. The session will offer a clear outline for preparing and filing petitions to restore a person’s citizenship rights in Circuit Court.
2. It will cover common pitfalls to helping a client restore the right to vote and the right to possess a firearm.
3. The session will ultimately provide participants with the necessary sample petitions and resources for restoring citizenship rights.

The paralegal profession plays a pivotal role in the legal industry, offering essential support to attorneys and ensuring the smooth operation of legal processes. To enhance the skills and knowledge of paralegals, we propose a series of sessions focused on critical aspects of their work. These sessions aim to provide practical insights, ethical guidelines, and specialized training to empower paralegals in their professional roles.

Learning Objectives:

1. Assisting Attorneys with Drafting Documents and Trial Support 
2. Working with Domestic Violence Victims
3. Providing Victim Advocacy

Those with the greatest impact also have the greatest potential of weariness. This is why there are many idioms to describe the complete exhaustion that can lead to serious illnesses. Plus, running out of steam professionally impacts more than our career.

Constant stress will implant struggle for physical health, emotional health, relationships, spirituality, and more. Let’s look at the impact of being ‘dead on your feet’ means for the helping professions and ways to sustain a lively vocation.

Learning Objectives:

1. Examine the effects of long-lasting stress on mental and physical health.
2. Identify the lasting effects on professional performance.
3. Select strategies and infuse techniques towards longevity.

This session will explore a general overview of debt collection defense strategy and provide insight into what to look for when evaluating defenses in a variety of collections cases, including third-party debt collectors and original creditors.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identifying proper case/litigation strategy in third-party collection cases.
2. Understanding proper evidentiary objections and legal arguments in collections cases, as well as counterarguments from debt collectors.
3. Identifying separate strategies for original creditor cases, fraud cases, and collections scam cases.

This session will provide a basic overview of immigration law, including common terminology and the government agencies involved in implementing the laws and regulations. The session will also introduce some of the immigration options available to noncitizens and cover recent law changes.

Learning Objectives:

1. To introduce immigration concepts and players involved in decision making.
2. To introduce the immigration options available to noncitizens.
3. To provide an overview of recent policy changes.

Building on the first session, Innovating Injustice, this session will discuss in detail the various advocacy tools to fight back against harmful uses of AI across multiple dimensions, including fair hearings, affirmative litigation, narrative advocacy, public education, and community activation. The session will offer in-depth case examples, audience participation, and group exercises to build an enduring framework for tackling all sorts of AI-related issues our client communities are facing.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will learn about the strengths and weaknesses of the latest policy proposals that implicate the harms AI causes low-income communities.
2. Participants will learn about the leading strategies to fight back against AI-related harms.
3. Participants will learn a method to analyze AI-related harms to inform advocacy strategies..

The session would be a mix of informative lecture and interactive segments. For the instruction, the presentation would focus on common use cases and probable benefits of AI for attorneys in the non-profit sector; on the risks associated with engaging with and using AI; and on the ethical considerations attorneys should make when engaging with AI depending on how it is used.

Learning Objectives:

1. Common Use Cases for AI in the Industry 
2.  Considerable Risks Associated with the Use of AI 
3.  Ethical Considerations During Use of AI

Presentation on how to determine a debtor's eligibility for Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy and basic bankruptcy rules that every advocate should know. Will discuss some common misconceptions about bankruptcy.

This session will examine recent and potential changes to SNAP policies at both federal and state levels, highlighting how these shifts affect eligibility requirements, access, and administrative processes. Attendees will gain practical insights into how these policy developments directly impact SNAP recipients, with special focus on Tennessee's implementation and the resulting challenges faced by clients. Attendees will leave equipped with actionable knowledge to better advocate for and support their clients through this evolving policy landscape.

Learning Objectives:

1. How to determine whether a debtor is eligible for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy
2. How to determine whether a debtor is eligible for a Chapter 13 bankruptcy
3. Basic bankruptcy rules that every advocate should know for holistic representation

This session will take a practical look at effective cross-examination in the unique context of family law cases. We will review key principles of maintaining control, challenging credibility, and structuring questions. We will explore common and complex scenarios of cross-examination in family law matters and we will offer concrete strategies to use in the courtroom.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand and apply core cross examination skills to family law practice. 
2. Identify common scenarios and go over possible approaches to address those scenarios effectively.
3.    Learn to adapt general principles to individual courtroom styles and preferences.

The Tennessee Expungement Statute has been reorganized and simplified. This CLE will outline how the expungement statute has been restructured and provide a roadmap for the new sections. The session will specifically offer a deep dive into the complexity of expunging convictions. Through sample clients, we will practice analyzing criminal histories to determine if eligible convictions can be expunged.

Learning Objective:
The session will also provide a step-by-step guide on how to prepare and file expungement petitions as well as the processes required different counties.

I have provided several of these sessions for the Washington County Bar Association since 2019. I teach practical yoga poses that can be done in an office to alleviate stress. I teach breathing techniques that can be utilized in all aspects of law practice. Attendees also learn the importance of meditation in trauma healing and how it can serve them and their clients.

Learning Objectives:

1. Yoga is accessible to every body and age.
2. Yoga can greatly benefit lawyers in high stress work.
3.    Understanding of neuroplasticity and trauma's effect on the brain.

One of the most powerful tools a mediator has is the ability to ask the right questions. The right question can bring clarity, shift perspective, promote empathy, and help people step back to examine their situation from a new angle. Asking questions is both an art and a skill. Legal professionals and mediators alike benefit from having a strong set of questions ready to use when the moment calls for it.

This presentation will explore how to interview and coach clients in conflict by using thoughtful, well-timed questions. We’ll cover what makes a question powerful, how to ask questions that move the conversation forward, and the different types of questions that can transform conflict and expand perspective.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand how to use questions as a tool for conflict coaching and for gathering meaningful information from clients.    
2. Learn how to set the right tone when asking questions, and how tone can impact trust, clarity, and engagement.    
3. Explore different types of questions and build a go-to collection of questions to use in various conflict situations.