Coronavirus Pandemic Response →

Intake The demand for our free legal services has increased exponentially since the start of the public health and economic crisis.  Since March, we have received over 350 requests for legal assistance (intakes). The estimated demographic breakdown is as follows: 55% Black; 25% Latinx; 10% Asian American; and 10% other....

Launching Unemployment Assistance Initiative →

During the COVID-19 crisis the need for financial resources is growing, with over 22 million workers seeking unemployment assistance in the last few weeks. Although state and federal emergency legislation was promulgated to expand access to unemployment benefits, countless workers still need help completing the fairly complex online unemployment application....

Coronavirus Legal Warriors →

As legal first responders, at a time when many doors are closing, we are opening ours wider. In response to an unprecedented need, we're adding a new coronavirus legal warrior to our team. This expansion is critical to deepening and expanding free support for affected families, including help with unemployment...

In #MeToo Case, Federal Court Rules Against McCormick & Schmick’s →

A favorable federal court decision brings five back-of-the-house Latina kitchen workers one step closer to trial in a sexual harassment lawsuit against national restaurant chain McCormick & Schmick’s.  In today’s ruling, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani held that a central figure in the women’s complaint is a “supervisor” under the...

Legal Responses to COVID-19 →

Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) is launching a comprehensive legal and policy initiative across immigration, education, housing and the census to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on our most vulnerable communities. Specifically, we are advocating to: Secure demographic and racial data on coronavirus infections and death. Stop immigration raids,...

Emergency Measures Needed →

As the coronavirus pandemic unfolds rapidly, it is imperative that state and local policy leaders enact emergency measures that will protect the most vulnerable populations. For those with higher incomes and more social supports, the sudden changes in daily life due to the pandemic will be inconvenient and disruptive. But...

New Immigration Resources →

New bilingual immigration guide and Form I-9 Guide: Guía de inmigración bilingüe y para el Formulario I-9:

Demystifying Form I-9 (Bilingual Guide) →

Best Practices and Tips for Employees and Employers [pdf-embedder url="http://lawyersforcivilrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Demystifying-Form-I-9-El-Formulario-I-9.pdf" title="Demystifying Form I-9 : El Formulario I-9"] [pdf-embedder url="http://lawyersforcivilrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/I-9-PalmCard-Spanish-2.pdf" title="I-9 PalmCard Spanish 2"]

2019 Annual Report →

Check out our latest work. Our 2019 year-in-review is available here: [pdf-embedder url="http://lawyersforcivilrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/2019-Annual-Report-DIGITAL.pdf" title="2019 Annual Report DIGITAL"]

Court Rules Against Boston Police In Hair Drug Test Case →

Court Rules Against Boston Police In Challenge To Hair Drug Test And Civil Rights Groups Call For City To Immediately Halt All Use Of Test   Massachusetts's highest court has made clear once again that the controversial "Hair Test" used by the Boston Police Department (BPD) to test for employee drug...

Ropes & Gray Justice Fellowship →

Ropes & Gray Launches Justice Fellowship at Lawyers for Civil Rights Legal Fellowship Builds On Successful Pro Bono Partnership in Landmark Voting Rights Case Global law firm Ropes & Gray today announced the creation of the Ropes & Gray Justice Fellowship at Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR), a Boston-based legal...

Class Action Challenges Background Checks →

Class Action Lawsuit Challenges Massachusetts’ Use of Decades Old Juvenile Court Records To Permanently Bar Employees From Childcare Work Lawsuit Alleges Blanket Ban Disproportionately Affects Employees of Color  Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) and Lichten & Liss-Riordan P.C. filed a class action lawsuit in Suffolk Superior Court against the Massachusetts Department of Early...

Suing Boston Police Department For Diversity Data →

Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) and pro bono counsel, David S. Godkin, of Birnbaum & Godkin LLP, filed a lawsuit against the City of Boston and the Boston Police Department (BPD), seeking public records regarding diversity in BPD and demanding timely compliance with the Massachusetts Public Record Law. Access to...

Weaponizing The Census Would Hurt Massachusetts →

Weaponizing The Census Would Hurt Massachusetts This op-ed by was published by WBUR's Cognoscenti. It’s tempting, in the wake of the Mueller report and the onslaught of news stories about rogue aides and Russian corruption, to focus on scandalous elements of the Trump administration. But none of these scandals have...

Condemning Trump Administration’s Assault On Anti-Discrimination Protections →

Lawyers for Civil Rights Condemns Trump Administration’s Assault On Anti-Discrimination Protections  As part of its ongoing rollback of civil rights protections, the Trump Administration is directing Justice Department officials to look for ways to eliminate one of the most potent tools of civil rights advocacy: the disparate impact doctrine. Lawyers for Civil...

Fired METCO Social Worker Settles Lawsuit with Lexington, MA →

FIRED METCO SOCIAL WORKER SETTLES DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT WITH LEXINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS  Black Social Worker Terminated For Advocating For METCO Students Lawyers for Julia Finley, a Black METCO social worker who alleged she was unlawfully terminated by Lexington Public Schools (LPS) in Massachusetts for advocating for students of color, announced a settlement of...

Latino Janitor At Logan Airport Files Religious Discrimination Lawsuit →

Latino Janitor At Logan Airport Files Religious Discrimination Lawsuit Relentless Taunting Included Supervisor’s Remark: “Call Your God To Clean The Urinal” Arcadio Cruz, a practicing Catholic, filed a religious discrimination lawsuit against C&W Facilities Services, a company that provides janitorial service to the Boston Logan International Airport, after he experienced...

Black and Latino Drivers File Discrimination Class Action Against Amazon →

BLACK AND LATINO DRIVERS FILE CLASS ACTION DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT AGAINST AMAZON Complaint Alleges Amazon Illegally Fired Drivers Based On Overly Stringent Background Checks A group of six Black and Latino former Amazon drivers filed a class action lawsuit today in Suffolk Superior Court, charging that Amazon illegally discriminated against them...