Worker's rights conference provides perspective for Brandeis Law students

Last month, two Brandeis Law students attended the 18th annual National Law Students Worker's Rights Conference, hosted by the Peggy Browning Fund.

Through workshops, panel discussions and a keynote address, the conference educated students about becoming advocates for workers and their families.

"To be in the presence of so many passionate professionals who displayed such deep care for both the subject matter and the clients they serve was, to put it simply, inspiring," said 2L Adam Woody. "I was able to personally interact with several recognized labor attorneys, a previous National Labor Relations Board member and lots of diverse law students from all over the country who care about this subject with the same fervor and intensity that I do myself.

"Ultimately, attending the conference added to my belief that this is the field of law which will satisfy me most as a practicing attorney and that in pursuing it, I am on the right path."

 First-year law student Calesia Henson also attended the conference. As a former fourth-grade teacher, she approached the meeting with that experience in mind.

"I was thinking about employment law from the perspective of teachers," Henson said. "I want to advocate and be a voice for them."

When she was teaching, she observed administrative inefficiencies and injustices that made it harder for educators to do their jobs in the classroom. Her experience as a teacher inspired her to attend law school, she said. 

The Peggy Browning Fund is a not for-profit organization established in memory of Margaret A. Browning, a union-side attorney who was a member of the NLRB from 1994 until 1997.