Overview

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Join Cause Engagement Associates for a timely and powerful conversation with members of Baltimore Action Legal Team (BALT). This session introduces the concept of movement lawyering and highlights how BALT challenges traditional legal frameworks by centering community-led justice and anti-racist practices. Participants will gain insight into how legal strategies can align with grassroots efforts to advance racial equity and systems change. Through real-time examples, including rapid response initiatives and long-term community partnerships, this conversation will offer practical takeaways for anyone seeking to support justice-focused work in their field or everyday lives.

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Participants will hear BALT's origin story and learn how their work continues to offer important lessons for systems-change leaders and allies. Whether you work in public health, education, philanthropy, business, or government, this session will highlight ways to recognize harm, build trust, and take meaningful action in partnership with communities. 
 

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Key Learning Outcomes​

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• Understand Movement Lawyering. Gain a foundational understanding of movement lawyering and how it differs from conventional legal service models.

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• Learn from BALT’s Model. Explore how BALT’s story and strategies serve as a case study for applying legal support at the local, state, and federal levels.

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• ​​​Identify Ways to Take Action in Your Role. Identify practical, community-informed ways to show up and engage in legal or advocacy work, especially when addressing harm caused by legal systems.

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About BALT

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In 2015, BALT formed under the guidance of local legal professionals and activists in response to the police murder of Freddie Gray. BALT began holding legal observer trainings and established a Jail Support team. BALT trained hundreds of lawyers, law students, and activists in legal observation and jail support.

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When Baltimore Police Department began mass arrests of protesters during the uprising that followed Gray’s murder, BALT’s legal observers played a key role in supporting activists.

 

For the past 10 years, BALT has sustained and expanded that commitment to the Baltimore community through advocacy and direct legal services.

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Learn more and donate at https://www.baltimoreactionlegal.org/.