Our latest accomplishments


Right-to-Shelter Lawsuit Filed in Massachusetts →

Housing
UPDATE: Judge Declines to Issue Preliminary Order Halting Changes to Right to Shelter LawA Superior Court judge declined to issue an order temporarily blocking the State’s proposed changes to the Right-to-Shelter Law. The ruling, which follows an emergency hearing in Lawyers for Civil Rights’ class action lawsuit, finds that the...

BizGrow Holiday Corporate Gifting Guide →

BizGrow
Check out this list of nine exciting and uplifting minority-owned, women-owned, and immigrant-owned small businesses that can ship gift packs nationwide. This holiday season, let’s support small businesses. Access the full clickable version of the gift guide here.  


DEI In Massachusetts Public Schools: A Legal And Practical Guide →

Education, Racial Justice
As the school year gets underway, Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) is receiving many inquiries about how best to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in public schools.  Those who support DEI — school administrators, school boards, teachers, community advocates, parents, and students — want a better understanding of the...

Faneuil Hall Shopkeepers of Color Targeted and Criminalized →

Economic Justice, Racial Justice
Lawyers for Civil Rights Demands Redress for Unfairly Treated Merchants of Color at Faneuil Hall Cease and Desist Letter Details Unfair and Deceptive Practices that Faneuil Hall Management Company Has Aimed at Minority Small Businesses, and Calls For Immediate Amends Lawyers for Civil Rights (“LCR”) issued a cease and desist...

Rhode Island Excludes Minority-Owned Businesses From State Contracting →

BizGrow, Racial Justice
Civil Rights Groups Charge That Rhode Island Is Violating Federal Law By Excluding Minority-Owned Businesses From State Contracting In a demand letter, Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) and Rhode Island Black Business Association (RIBBA) have outlined how Rhode Island is violating federal anti-discrimination law by systematically excluding minority-owned businesses from State contracting.  The demand letter calls...

Dismantling Discriminatory Hairstyle Rules →

Education, Racial Justice
Targeting Young Black Athletes Violates Massachusetts’ New “Crown Act Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) issued a demand letter to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), an organization that creates and enforces high school athletic rules, requesting immediate action to stop discriminatory hairstyle policies that violate Massachusetts' new "Crown Act."...

BizGrow Arts and Culture Series →

BizGrow
This 4-week course will provide aspiring and current small business owners and entrepreneurs in the arts and cultural economy with the legal foundation to successfully run their business. Brought to you by a partnership between LCR|BizGrow, Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston, and Northeastern University School of Law.

Fall into HealthJustice →

Health Disparities
Fall Into HealthJustice is a groundbreaking event that harnesses the power of medical, legal, and community collaboration to help families and youth prepare for the cold/flu season. Join us on October 5 in East Boston! Fall into HealthJustice es un evento innovador que aprovecha el poder de la colaboración médica,...

LCR’s Legal Warriors at the HNBA National Conference →

Education, Immigrant Rights, Police Accountability, Racial Justice
Lawyers for Civil Rights at the 2023 Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) convention.  LCR’s legal warriors and our community partners will be presenting on a wide range of cutting-edge civil rights and intersectional issues at the upcoming HNBA Conference in Minneapolis on September 6-8, 2023. This is where you can find...

LCR’s Legal Warriors at Lav Law →

Immigrant Rights, Racial Justice
Lawyers for Civil Rights at the 2023 Lavender Law Conference  LCR’s legal warriors and our community partners presented on a wide range of cutting-edge civil rights and intersectional issues at the Lavender Law Conference hosted by the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association in Chicago on July 24 - 26, 2023.  The...

Condemning Gun Violence →

Police Accountability
Condemning Gun Violence Across the Commonwealth  Gun violence is a plague on the United States, and Massachusetts is far from immune. Shootings on back-to-back days this weekend disrupted Caribbean Festivals in Boston and Worcester, leaving at least ten people injured and local communities of color shaken. Meanwhile, following 21 shooting incidents in the last two months, Springfield...

Launching Medical-Legal Partnership with Beth Israel Lahey Health →

Health Disparities
MEDICAL-LEGAL PARTNERSHIP LAUNCHED BY BETH ISRAEL LAHEY HEALTH AND LAWYERS FOR CIVIL RIGHTS  New Medical-Legal Partnership Will Help Address Health Disparities Beth Israel Lahey Health (BILH) and Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) announced the launch of a new medical-legal partnership that will provide free legal support to low-income patients, beginning...

New Police Discipline Database: More Transparency and Accountability →

Police Accountability, Racial Justice
Lawyers for Civil Rights Applauds New Police Discipline Database, Urges More Transparency and Accountability Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) applauds the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission for publishing a database showing the disciplinary records of Massachusetts police officers accused of misconduct.  Transparency is critical for holding law enforcement accountable. ...

Haitian Community Group Defends Humanitarian Relief →

Immigrant Rights
Haitian Community Group Defends President Biden’s Humanitarian Immigration Policy Parole Program Offers Hope for Foreign Nationals Fleeing Deadly Conditions Haitian-Americans United, Inc. (HAU) filed a friend-of-the-court (amicus) brief in federal court in support of the Biden Administration’s “parole program,” a humanitarian relief effort that allows Haitians fleeing dangerous social, political, and economic...

MBTA Zoning Lawsuit Addressing Housing Crisis →

Housing
Lawyers for Civil Rights and Brown Rudnick File MBTA Communities Zoning Lawsuit to Challenge Suburban Reluctance to Address Housing Crisis As Affordable Housing Crisis Devastates Low-Income Families and Community Groups, Plaintiffs Ask Supreme Judicial Court To Make Clear That New MBTA Communities Zoning Law Is Mandatory The Central Massachusetts Housing...

Defending Minority-Owned Businesses In Federal Court →

Economic Justice
The Black Economic Council of Massachusetts (BECMA) and Amplify LatinX have filed a motion to intervene in federal court in defense of a pandemic relief program  administered by the Commonwealth to support small businesses, including minority-owned  business enterprises (MBEs). The federal case was brought by two white-owned businesses  attacking the...

Federal Civil Rights Investigation: Harvard’s Legacy/Donor Admissions →

Education, Racial Justice
Lawyers for Civil Rights welcomes the news we received from the U.S. Department of Education that it has formally opened a federal investigation into our civil rights complaint, which challenges Harvard's discriminatory practice of giving preferential treatment to children of wealthy donors and children of alumni.  As our complaint outlines, these...