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The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) Legal Observer® program was established in 1968 in New York City in response to protests at Columbia University and city-wide antiwar and civil rights demonstrations. Since then, Legal Observers have been a staple in many movements, from the recent George Floyd/Black Lives Matter uprisings, to the Chicago Democratic National Convention. Where there is a movement on the behalf of the oppressed or working people, National Lawyers Guild Legal Observers, as well as Guild attorneys will proudly assist.

NLG-Pace operates its own autonomous Legal Observer program limited to the Hudson Valley region, and is approved by the NLG National Office and the NLG-NYC Chapter. We primarily train and deploy law students from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law as Legal Observers, who work alongside Guild attorneys to ensure that demonstrators are given due process.

The primary purpose of a Legal Observer is to record the acts of police or other third-party factions, such as counter-demonstrators or other hate groups. The presence of Legal Observers may serve as a deterrent to unconstitutional behavior by law enforcement during a demonstration.

To request legal observers for your event, please complete the form below. For additional information, contact NLG-Pace at dguarracino@law.pace.edu