Roles for Legal and Financial Professionals
This teach-in will describe two case studies for coop development at scale: the Mondragon Corporation in the Basque region of Spain and the coop ecosystem developed in Italy’s Emilia Romagna region. We'll then discuss together how credit unions and CDFIs could be driving forces for coop development at scale in the US. We will end by reflecting on how legal and financial professionals can promote cultural shifts towards cooperative values by democratizing their practices.
We will discuss:
- The laws, organizations, and culture that support coop development in Spain and Italy;
- The role for credit unions and CDFIs in financing coop development in the US;
- How lawyers can make the law more accessible and empower worker owners;
- Metrics that we can use to define and measure successful coop development.
This teach-in is for all who want to stoke the flames of their coop imaginations: activists, legal and financial professionals, worker coop enthusiasts, worker coop members, and so on.
About the Presenters
Jorge Tena - Economic Democracy Intern
Jorge is a Summer 2016 Sustainable Economies Law Center Intern and a rising 2L at Santa Clara University School of Law. He is interested in the relationship between law and capitalism and the emancipatory power of worker cooperatives. He is passionate about worker’s rights and creating a future where everyone’s potential can be realized. He was born in Cd. Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico and grew up in El Paso, TX.
Geoffrey Gilbert - Grassroots Finance Intern
Geoff is a Summer 2016 SELC Intern and a rising 2L at Georgetown University Law Center. He is passionate about economic democracy and community and individual empowerment. He believes that cooperation, not competition, is the way. Geoff has published reporting and analysis on US social movements and cooperative economics with Waging Nonviolence, In These Times and Truth-Out, among other publications. He was born in Philadelphia, PA and grew up in Miami, FL.
$5-15 Donation Requested
If you are unable to give financially or would like to donate in person at the event, please RSVP to [email protected]! No one turned away for lack of funds!
