Robert M. Cover Public Interest Retreat 2011: Registration OPEN

Registration is now open for the 24th annual Robert M. Cover Public Interest Retreat. Click here to register.

"Every year, public interest law students, professors, and practitioners from the Eastern, Mid-Eastern, and Southern United States gather together at the Robert M. Cover Public Interest Law Retreat to network, strategize, and socialize in a beautiful, secluded setting.  

The retreat brings to life the vision of Robert Cover, a Yale Law School professor and social change activist. Cover’s vision encompassed four principal goals: 1) to connect students with common goals and interests from across the country; 2) to create a network of professors, peers, and practitioners for students headed toward careers in public interest; 3) to provide a forum for discussions about change and growth pertaining to public interest law; and 4) to provide a platform for change in the public interest sector and perceptions about public interest law."

Robert M. Cover Public Interest Retreat 2010: Turning Point

This weekend WNEC Law organized the 23rd annual Robert M. Cover Public Interest Law Retreat at Camp Sargent in New Hampshire. WNEC organizers Imran Siddiqui, Maren Law, and Erin Wilson worked extremely hard to put this all together. This year's retreat was dubbed "Turning Point" and it was a truly incredible experience. Students and practitioners came from all over to participate: North Carolina, California, Hawaii, New York, Connecticut, Georgia... the list goes on. WNEC sent around 20 students, several from OUTlaw and we were all buzzing with energy.

The trek to Camp Sargent on Friday was long and treacherous for some. As snow quickly blanketed the area, drivers were faced with zero visibility and unplowed roads. There were flights delayed, flights cancelled, and several cars that became stuck in the snow en route. Most people, however, were able to fight through the weather to get to the retreat with perseverance and a lot of patience (and some help from tow trucks and muscle power). Those who could not make it were sorely missed.

The weekend was a great balance of workshops and plenty of time for networking and socializing. Four to five workshop topics were available per session and offered a range of subjects from Guantanamo to Disability Rights, Native American Law to Governmental Accountability, and everywhere in between. Especially pertinent to members of OUTlaw was the LGBT session hosted by WNEC Law's very own Professor Taylor Flynn and Jennifer Pizer, Senior Counsel and Marriage Project Director at Lambda Legal. Jennifer Pizer was also the keynote speaker on Saturday evening. She flew in that afternoon from Hawaii, just for the day, to speak at the retreat and was on a plane back to the west coast in less than 24 hours. We were (and are) very grateful that she so literally went out of her way to come and speak to us. The LGBT discussions were centered around the Perry v. Schwarzenegger case challenging the passing of Proposition 8 in California. The topic was used as lens through which we could better understand the LGBT movement: its history, where it stands currently, and where we are headed in the future. Particularly interesting was the discussion regarding impact litigation and the importance of bringing a case at the right time: though there is a heated and immediate demand for equality, we must patiently persevere in order avoid devastating set-backs. The message overall, however, was that we will get there.

The energy in a room full of extraordinary people who are absolutely determined to change the world and are so focused on the human face of the law is an experience beyond words. We left with a renewed clarity of direction, feeling energized, inspired, and eager to get to work. It was our Turning Point and I feel so fortunate to have been a part of it.

-Erika Scibelli, 1L

If you would like to know more about the retreat, please feel free to contact me on Facebook or at outlaw.wnec@gmail.com.

Jenny Pizer, keynote speaker at Robert Cover Public Interest Retreat

Robert M. Cover Public Interest Law Retreat

February 26-28th in Peterborough, New Hampshire

This year Jenny Pizer of Lamda Legal is the keynote speaker at the Cover Retreat. She has done amazing work on LGBT issues including recent work on the Proposition 8 issue in California. She will also facilitate a discussion-based workshop along with Professor Flynn of WNEC. This is an amazing opportunity to meet someone who is doing frontline work for the LGBT community. There will also be plenty of chances to meet and speak with professors and other public interest practitioners in a relaxing, fun and casual setting. Please register here and join us in New Hampshire for this great event.

Robert Cover Public Interest Retreat

"Jennifer C. Pizer, Senior Counsel and Director of the Marriage Equality Project at Lambda Legal will be a featured speaker at the Robert Cover Public Interest Retreat, organized in part this year by WNEC Law students and open to all law students, Feb. 26-28th at the Sargent Center in Peterborough New Hampshire. This year, the theme is "Turning Point: Shaping Public Interest Law for 2015," and the retreat features a variety of public interest practitioners speaking on issues ranging from indigent criminal defense to representing children to international human rights. Register now."

Thanks to Professor Shay & Maren Law for this information