Journal Tackles Forced Workplace Arbitration >>

The Berkeley Journal of Employment and Labor Law co-hosted a recent symposium entitled “Forced Arbitration in the Workplace.” Academics, practitioners, and other experts examined the forced arbitration of employment disputes and its impact on workplace rights. UC Berkeley Professor Robert Reich, former U.S. Secretary of Labor, delivered the keynote address: “Why the American Worker is Losing Ground.” Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) general counsel P. David Lopez and Commissioner Jenny Yang discussed efforts to better preserve access to the legal system and how recent court rulings will affect EEOC enforcement. (4/7/14)

EBCLC Hires Racial Justice Senior Fellow >>

The East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC) has hired Sarah Crowley as the Racial Justice Senior Fellow in its Clean Slate Reentry Legal Services Practice. Crowley will lead EBCLC’s new impact litigation project, which seeks to mitigate the lifelong impact of criminal records—a disproportionate percentage of whom come from communities of color—and combat the improper use of criminal history information in employment and licensing decisions. Crowley was a litigator with Gross Belsky Alonso in San Francisco and Neufeld Scheck & Brustin in New York City. She also worked at the Legal Aid Society and Children’s Rights. (4/3/14)

Berkeley Law Hosts Religious Law Workshop >>

Berkeley Law’s Robbins Collection recently hosted a one-day workshop entitled “Implementing Religious Law in Contemporary Nation-States: Definitions and Challenges.” Organized and moderated by Robbins Collection Director Laurent Mayali and Postdoctoral Fellow Lena Salaymeh, the event convened attorneys and scholars from around the world with expertise in Jewish, Catholic, and Islamic legal traditions. Experts presented papers, debated key topics at the intersection of law and religion—such as the state’s role in implementing religious laws—and discussed case studies from Israel, the Arab world, and the United States. (3/31/14)