The UALR Law Review will host the Ben J. Altheimer Symposium next month. The topic is Lawyering for Social Justice: Exploring the Roles of Immigration and for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender-cause Lawyers.

The free symposium will focus on “Cause Lawyering,” an activity that seeks to use law-related means or seeks to change law or regulations to achieve greater social justice – both for a particular individual and for disadvantaged groups. The event will be from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, March 13, in the Friday Courtroom at the Bowen School of Law.

The symposium will explore current issues affecting immigrants and the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities.  Specifically, a survey of current law will be provided and, for lawyers and scholars working to advance these causes, practical guidance and perspectives on issues that may hinder progress in these areas.

The symposium participants include Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights in California; Abby Rubenfeld, member of Tennessee’s ACLU Board of Directors and former legal director of Lambda Defense and Educational Fund in the state; Elise Shore, regional counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defenses and Educational Fund in Georgia; Zak Kramer, professor at the Dickinson School of Law at Penn State University; Karla McKanders, professor at the University of Tennessee College of Law in Knoxville, Tenn.; Misty Borkowski, associate at the law offices of James, Carter, and Coulter; Dr. Andre Guerrero, director of programs for language minority at the Arkansas Department of Education; Guillermo Hernandez, lead immigration counsel with The Hernandez Law Firm, PLLC; Leo Monterrey, the Monterrey Law Firm; Bettina Brownstein, partner at Wright, Lindsey & Jennings, LLP; and Maricella Garcia, director of Catholic Charities of Arkansas Immigration Services.

The UALR Law Review membership invites the entire state to participate in a critical analysis of what some have classified to be the leading civil rights issues of this time.