Saturday, 25 September 2021, 13:00 – Sunday, 26 September 2021, 16:00 BST, hosted online.

Lawyers, academics, workers & activists convene to explore the limits & potential of using the law to advance radical political agendas.

Co-hosted byMaterialist Lawyers Group, The World Transformed, The Haldane Society and Legal Sector Workers United.

Featuring Dr Nadine El Enany, Lord Hendy QC, Chardine Taylor Stone, Raj Chada, Dr Robert Knox, Mira Hammad, John Smith, Paul Heron & many others.

Every generation develops its own understanding of how legal practice can both further and frustrate a project of radical, anti-capitalist politics. This conference brings together practising radical lawyers, Marxist academics, workers and activists affected by the violence of imperial capitalism. It is aimed at developing theoretically informed, concrete insights that can be applied in legal practice at a national and international level.

Panel discussions will focus on criminal defence, international law, immigration law, and employment law. There will also be an opening and closing plenary.

For the full agenda and details of how to get ticket, head to the Eventbrite page for the conference.

FREE PUBLIC EVENT: ‘Colombia: Transitional Justice and Judicial Independence under Attack’ - 18.05.21

EVENT: Colombia: Transitional Justice and Judicial Independence Under Attack

Tuesday 18 May 2021, 18.30 to 20.00

The transitional justice system and judicial independence are under a barrage of attacks in Colombia. We will hear the latest update from Colombian lawyers who put their lives on the line in defence of peace and human rights.

Speakers:

– Diego Martínez: Human Rights lawyer and legal advisor to the FARC

– Reinaldo Villalba: Human Rights lawyer at CCAJAR

– Alirio Uribe: Human Rights lawyer and ex-Member of Congress

– Professor Sara Chandler QC (Hon): Chair, Colombia Caravana

– Hasan Dodwell: Director, Justice for Colombia

– Sue Willman: Chair, Law Society Human Rights Committee

– Chaired by Clare Mellor: Director, Thompsons Solicitors

A Justice for Colombia event supported by:

Haldane / Thompsons Solicitors / Colombia Caravana

Register here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0ucOGrrDkoGdHVF4eJDt57kavipKBSX_gu

More Info:

https://justiceforcolombia.org/events/transitional-justice-and-judicial-independence-under-attack/

https://www.facebook.com/events/555283695440877

Free public lecture: 'Sixty Years of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs'→

The Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs turns sixty years old on 30 March 2021. Join us to learn about its relationship with imperialism and the struggle for racial justice; its structure, provisions and history; and what resistance and advocacy look like within the framework it has created.

Date and Time: Tuesday 30th March 2021, 6:30pm - 8:30pm (online)

Speakers:

Kojo Koram: legal academic and editor of 'The War on Drugs and the Global Colour Line' (2019, Pluto Books)

Christopher Hallam: drug historian and research associate at the Global Drug Policy Observatory (Swansea University)

Judy Chang: Executive Director of the International Network of People who Use Drugs (INPUD)

Chaired by Hannah Webb of the Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers.

Register here:

bit.ly/60narcotics

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sixty-years-of-the-single-convention-on-narcotic-drugs-tickets-147596957473

(Picture: Wikimedia Commons, Marjah, Afghanistan, 2010)

Solidarity film showing: 7 February 2020

On 7 February 2020 at 18:30 join us for a showing of the film SOLIDARITY.

Blacklisting in the UK construction industry impacted thousands of workers who were labelled ‘troublemakers’ for speaking out and secretively denied employment. Activists uncovered alarming links between workplace blacklisting and undercover policing. SOLIDARITY follows meetings between activists and law students, brought together for the film, revealing the determination of a community working together to find a route to justice. SOLIDARITY was made by visual arts organisation City Projects and filmmaker Lucy Parker, who has been working alongside members of the Blacklist Support Group for over four years.

Find out more about the film at solidarityfilm.com.

Attendees will need to obtain free tickets. Free ticketsa are available at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/solidarity-film-showing-tickets-81068115917

Venue: Birkbeck Cinema, 43 Gordon Square, Bloomsbury, London, WC1H 0PD.

 

Free public lecture: Abolishing section 21: restructuring renting or technocratic tinkering?

Join the Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers for a discussion on housing law reform.

 

Section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 ('no fault' evictions, and the consequent total lack of security of tenure in the the private rented sector) was a key plank of the Thatcher government's housing settlement. Its existence has been unquestioned by successive governments for for more than 30 years.

But in the last few months both main political parties announced their intention to abolish section 21.

The Haldane Society welcomes you to a discussion about the importance, necessity and consequences of re-regulating the private rented sector.

Reserve a free ticket here.

David Watkinson is a leading expert on housing law, having been a barrister at Garden Court Chambers for many years. In practice he was particularly committed to representing squatters and residential occupiers. David will speak about the importance of this proposal, and draw on the Rent Acts as an example of what a protected private rented sector looks like.

Housing Action Southwark & Lambeth (HASL) is a direct action casework and campaigning group based in south London. Izzy Koksal and others will speak about the reality facing HASL members - do they really need stronger rights to stay in terrible privately rented accommodation, or is a more ambitious programme of restoring council housing the only effective approach?

This is a particularly timely event as the government is currently consulting on its section 21 proposals.

Latecomers are welcome to enter quietly.

Social movements within and beyond the prison: how can lawyers help?

Speakers:

1. Kushal Sood (prison lawyer at Instalaw)

2. Amal (IWOC)

3. And a further speaker from SmashIPP

Join us for an evening of learning about the current prisoner movements in the UK, their struggles of building solidarity between people inside and outside of prison and how lawyers can help.

We’ll have presentations by an eminent prison lawyer and speakers from two abolitionist organisations at the forefront of fighting against the poor treatment of prisoners – Incarcerated Workers Organising Committee and SmashIPP. After the speakers will lead a breakout discussion on practical tips for success at parole hearings and strategise creative solutions to the problems encountered in prisoner organising.

 

Tickets are available for free at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/social-movements-within-and-beyond-the-prison-how-can-lawyers-help-tickets-72261069805.

Latecomers are welcome to enter quietly.

Screening of ‘Unquiet Graves: the Story of the Glenanne Gang’ and Q & A – Hosted by Haldane Society and Connolly Association

 

Date: Thursday, 23 May 2019 from 19:00

Venue: London Irish Centre, 50-52 Camden Square, NW1 9XB London, United Kingdom

Tickets: £10 + £1 Booking Fee (all proceeds go to the film’s creative team)

Buy online here.

Details: Exposing Britain's secret collaboration in the murders of over 120 people on both sides of the Irish border during the recent conflict.

Unquiet Graves: The story of the Glenanne Gang details how members of
the RUC and UDR, (a British Army regiment) were centrally involved in the murder of over 120 innocent civilians during the recent conflict in Ireland.

It will detail how members worked hand in hand with known sectarian murderers in the targeted assassinations of farmers, shopkeepers, publicans and other civilians in a campaign aimed at terrorising the most vulnerable in society.

Now known as the Glenanne Gang, the group of killers rampaged through Counties Tyrone and Armagh and across into the Irish Republic in a campaign that lasted from July 1972 to the end of 1978.

Free public lecture: Women and the welfare state in 2019

Come join the Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers in conjunction with the Haldane Feminist Lawyers at this special International Women's Day edition of our yearly human rights lecture series.

We will be discussing the state of women within the welfare state in 2019, including "benefits reform", the effect of austerity and fighting back against these policies. We will be hearing from Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC, a barrister from Doughty Street who have been involved in successfully challenging the benefits cap and the bedroom tax.

There will be time for contributions from the floor, as well as questions and answers. Latecomers are welcome to enter quietly.

 

Date: 19 March 2019
Time: 6.30pm to 8.30pm
Place: University of Law, Store Street, London

Join our Facebook Event

Sign up on Eventbrite to give us an idea of numbers (recommended but not required)

Haldane AGM, Elections, & Lecture: "Being a Socialist Lawyer" - 7 February 2019

The Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers AGM will be held on Thursday 7 February 2019 at 6.30pm, at the Universtiy of Law. The AGM will also elect the Officers and Executive Committee of the Society.

There will also be an informal discussion with Executive Committee members about socialist amd the law. Refreshments will be provided, and members will be invited to a social event afterwards.

 

Day of the Endangered Lawyer: 24 January 2019

 

Please join us at the Turkish Embassy at 12:00pm on 24 January 2019 for the Day of the Endangered Lawyer protest.

The Day  of  the  Endangered  Lawyer  is  the  day  on  which  we  turn  the  spotlight  on lawyers  all  over  the  world  who  are  being  harassed,  silenced,  pressured,  threatened, persecuted,  tortured.    Murders  and  enforced  disappearances  as  well  are  not  out  of  the ordinary.  The  only  reason  for  these  outrages  is  the  fact  that  these  lawyers  are  doing  their job, and  fulfilling their  professional  obligations, when  they  are  needed  the  most.  

The  24th  of  January  was  chosen  to  be  the  annual  International  Day  of  the Endangered  Lawyer  because  on  this  day  in  1977  four  labour  rights  lawyers  and  a coworker  were  murdered  at  their  office  address  at  Calle  Atocha  55  in  Madrid.  This  is known as  the  Massacre  of  Atocha.

The  International  Day  of  the  Endangered  Lawyer  aims,  on  the  one  hand,  to  create awareness  that  the  practice  of  the  legal  profession  in  many  countries  involves  significant risks,  including  that  of  being  murdered,  but  it  aims  as  well  at  denouncing  the  situation  in a  particular  country,  where  lawyers  are  victims  of  serious  violations  of  their  fundamental rights  because  they  exercise  their  profession.

 Every  year  on  24  January  lawyers’ organisations  dedicate  this  day  to  the  endangered  lawyers  in  a  particular  country:  2010 Iran,  2012  Turkey,  2013  Basque  Country/Spain,  2014  Colombia,  2015  Philippines,  2016 Honduras,  2017  China  &  Egypt.  The  European  Democratic  Lawyers  (AED-EDL) established  the  Day  of  the  Endangered  Lawyer  in  2010.  Since  then  it  has  been  coorganized  by  AED-EDL  and  the  European  Association  of  Lawyers  for  Democracy   (ELDH)  and  the  foundation  “The  Day  of  the  Endangered  Lawyer”.  Many  other  lawyers’ organisations  and bar associations  have  supported this  project. In  2019  the  Day  of  the  Endangered  Lawyer  focuses  on  the  endangered  lawyers  in Turkey.

There  are  around  78  separate  criminal  prosecutions  and  investigations  against  human  rights  lawyers. Hundreds  of  lawyers  are  charged  within  these  criminal procedures.  Most  of  them  are  under  judicial  control  with  a  ban  from  travelling  abroad  or with the  duty to give  signature  to the  police  headquarter on certain days  of  the  week.   A

In all the cases  which  have been chosen  as  examples (see the attached Report) lawyers  were  accused  just because  of  practising  their  profession.  By  so  doing,  the  Turkish  State  systematically violates  the  UN  Basic  Principles  on  the  Role  of  Lawyers  and  it  is  obvious  that  this violation has  direct  impacts  on the  right  of  defence.