"A Crime on the Bayou"--Learning from Civil Rights Litigators & Activists about Fighting Systemic Racism in the Justice System

3.0 Ethics CLE Credits | CLE# VOD_2023007 | $120

This program is presented in partnership with ReelTime Creative Learning Experiences

This new CLE program from ReelTime Creative Learning Experiences and Bullfrog Films features the award-winning documentary “A Crime on the Bayou,” a behind-the scenes exploration of two civil rights era arrests in Louisiana that led to landmark constitutional law cases.

In the original case, a young Black man named Gary Duncan was convicted of assaulting a young white boy, when Duncan was in fact intervening to try to prevent a fight.  Duncan's conviction was ultimately reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court, which held for the first time that the Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial applies to the states.

In the other case, Duncan’s volunteer out-of-state lawyer was arrested for practicing law without a Louisiana license. A federal court enjoined the prosecution upon a showing that the constitutional rights of people of color could not be protected in Louisiana at that time without the efforts of out-of-state volunteer lawyers.

This CLE program will feature selected clips from the documentary, along with a lively roundtable discussion involving several of the still-living participants themselves. Attendees will learn not only about the legacy of civil rights litigation and constitutional practice in the heyday of the civil rights movement, but will also draw powerful lessons for navigating issues of bias, discrimination, and systemic racism as they continue to manifest themselves in our justice system today.

Watch the trailer for the film here: https://vimeo.com/654214968

TIMED AGENDA

Each segment will include provocative film clips and a lively roundtable discussion with our special guests.

1 hour             Discussion of the “crime” on the bayou, systemic racism and U.S. Supreme Court decision in Duncan vs. State of Louisiana

30 minutes     Discussion of Sobol v. Perez and the crucial role of pro bono service

1 hour             Contextualizing COTB in light of current civil rights challenges

30 minutes     Practical & Sustainable Strategies for Managing Vicarious Trauma and Maintaining Well-Being in All Areas of Practice

                        Thinking differently about why we don’t do more pro bono work—and how to change that.

Special Roundtable Guests:

• Gary Duncan – Wrongfully accused and convicted of assaulting a White boy at the age of 16
• Armand Durfner – Veteran Civil Rights Attorney, Co-Author of Justice Deferred: Race and the Supreme Court
• Professor LaJuana Davis – Processor of Law and Director of Clinics at Cumberland School of Law, Samford University
• Valerie Jackson, Esq. – Deputy Public Defender and Managing Attorney of the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender
• Professor Sean O’Brien – Professor of Law, UMKC School of Law, and Director of multiple Criminal Defense Clinics