We're always cooking up pay-it-forward legal advice, action-oriented workshops, and happy hours with engaging conversations on how to build just and resilient local economies. And we don't only provide in-person events for you to connect with us, we provide online trainings and travel across the country to support grassroots economic empowerment. Don't miss out!
Please, help us get the word out about our upcoming events. Share with your friends or networks on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn! If you're interested in an event, someone you know will probably be interested too. Share the love!
Find Sustainable Economies Law Center's events below!
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Thursday, April 25, 2019 at 06:00 PM
Acta Non Verba Lounge in Oakland, CAThink Outside the Boss: East Oakland
Cooperative Workshops for the Black CommunityThink Outside the Boss provides community members an introduction into the nuts and bolts of starting and running a cooperatively owned business. We go over legal issues in an accessible way to help you understand the relationships between cooperatives, employment, and community wealth-building.
We'll be presenting Think Outside the Boss over three sessions. This first workshop session will cover:
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What is a worker-owned business?
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What are advantages of forming a cooperative business?
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What are legal entities and what should you consider before forming one?
If you are an African American entrepreneur starting a business, an existing business owner thinking about succession plans and you have Black workers, or an existing worker coop with black worker-members looking for a refresher, this training is for you! >>> RSVP BELOW!
Food and drinks provided!
Workshop Session 2 will cover:
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How do you spread ownership and control across a group of people?
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What are some models of participatory management and democratic governance?
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How does employment laws effect worker coops?
Workshop Session 3 will cover:
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How do you raise money for a cooperative?
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What are the tax and accounting issues in a cooperative?
Attorneys, artists, law students, and experienced cooperative professionals will give short presentations on legal issues, governance structures, financing, cooperative conversion, and more! At the event, we will have bound copies of the Think Outside the Boss manual for paying attendees! You can also download it for free prior to the event here.
This event is being sponsored by the San Francisco Foundation and Repaired Nations and hosted by the Bay Area Black Worker Center. Thank you!
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Sunday, April 28, 2019 at 08:30 AM through April 29, 2019
Sacramento Scottish Rite Temple in Sacramento, CA2019 California Co-op Conference
JOIN US AT THE 2019 CALIFORNIA CO-OP CONFERENCE!
The California Co-op Conference is a multi-sector cooperative conference designed to offer unique opportunities to explore how this democratic business model promotes local sustainability, economic development, equality, and economic alternatives to “business as usual.”Sustainable Economies Law Center is providing multiple workshops at the conference, including:
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Worker Co-op Legalities 101CLE (Worker) where we'll discuss start-up fundamentals of worker cooperatives, including legal entity options, governance, and management issues.
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Starting a Permanent Real Estate Cooperative (Housing) will share information about the development process for the newly formed East Bay PREC. Learn about this platform for taking properties off the speculative market for good by building a system of permanently affordable land and housing for the community. We’ll discuss cooperative organizing, financing, and stewarding land to create a future of Land without Landlords.
We will gather in California’s State Capital: Sacramento – the City of Trees! Together we’ll explore the most effective ways to strengthen and expand the cooperative movement.
Register early and use the below discount codes!
DISCOVER how cooperatives revitalize and fortify local economies by creating jobs, housing, and locally owned businesses
LEARN how to strengthen you own cooperative and start new cooperatives
ENGAGE with other cooperators and share ideas, experiences, and strategies
FOR MORE INFORMATION & TO RSVP, CLICK HERE!
Keynote Address
KEYNOTE Nathan Schneider is a journalist and assistant professor of media studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. His most recent book is Everything for Everyone: The Radical Tradition that Is Shaping the Next Economy. His two previous books, God in Proof: The Story of a Search from the Ancients to the Internet and Thank You, Anarchy: Notes from the Occupy Apocalypse, were both published in 2013 by University of California Press."I suppose what I’m after is the chronicling of ideas, of perfect worlds, of ordinary imaginations in practice. My method is speculative reportage. Every word is hypothesis—while recognizing fearfully that with even the most casual remark we are building ourselves and our world irrevocably." - Nathan Schneider
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Tuesday, April 30, 2019 at 09:30 AM
CompassPoint in Oakland, CARethinking Nonprofits: Aligning Equity and Justice with Your Organizational Structure
As nonprofits and movement workers committed to social transformation, how can we embody the change we want to see and create more effective, accountable, and equitable organizations as we do it?
This training will explore how to infuse the governance, management, and operational practices of our organizations with our values of social, racial, gender, and ecological justice through the practice of deep democracy. Grounded in experience, research, discussion, and practice, the workshop will support participants to reimage and redesign teams, departments, or even their whole organization.
We will focus on ways to shift formal and informal power structures within organizations, with a particular focus on new approaches to organizational design for distributed leadership. This workshop will invite you to speak openly about the impact of practices we have inherited from oppressive systems and often reproduced in our own workplaces. Then we’ll discuss practical steps that organizations can take now to align your practices and policies with your commitment to justice and equity.
Participants will leave the workshop with:
- A general understanding of the operations and management of deeply democratic organizations and a vision for how they might embed more democracy in their organization moving forward;
- Specific tools and practices to spread power throughout their organization and give impacted people more voice to shape strategic and programmatic decisions.
- Resources to engage their board of directors, co-workers, and other key stakeholders in conversation about new organizational structures and practices; and;
- An understanding of legal issues arising from worker-self direction.
This experience is ideal for individuals working in or with social justice organizations of all sizes and at all stages of organizational development. All you need is a desire to either develop or refine self-governance practices in your team, program, group or organization. Participants should be people in a position to enact change within their organization. This means operations coordinators, human resource directors, executive directors, leaders of teams, or people with the capacity and energy to start making changes. We strongly recommend that organizations send 2-4 people to the training so you can partner in both sharing the learnings and taking actions when you return to your organization. Get 20% off if you register 2-4 staff/board by using this coupon code: SELC20
About the Presenter
Presenter Bio & Photo
Sustainable Economic Law Center cultivates a new legal landscape that supports community resilience and grassroots economic empowerment. We provide essential legal tools - education, research, advice, and advocacy - so communities everywhere can develop their own sustainable sources of food, housing, energy, jobs, and other vital aspects of a thriving community.
Part of Sustainable Economies Law Center's approach to catalyzing a more just and resilient society is to be the change we want to see. We have adopted policies that distribute "ownership" throughout the organization, allow for more dignified livelihoods, expand access to our legal services, and empower a new generation of grassroots legal experts.
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Wednesday, May 08, 2019 at 06:00 PM · 10 rsvps
APEN (Oakland Chinatown Office) in Oakland, CALegal Cafe
The Sustainable Economies Law Center provides direct legal support to individuals and groups who are working to create new solutions for resilient local economies. The Resilient Communities Legal Cafe is a first-come, first-serve, donation-based legal advice clinic, providing a collaborative space for community building and connecting.
This pop-up legal cafe is hosted by Asian Pacific Environmental Network, a nonprofit that builds and expands a powerful membership base of low income API immigrant and refugee communities. Meet legal volunteers from the Sustainable Economies Law Center and the Asian American Bar Association!
Everyone is welcome to attend this cafe. Please RSVP below.
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Thursday, May 09, 2019 at 06:00 PM
Richmond Main Library in Richmond, CAThink Outside the Boss: Richmond Part Two
Cooperative Workshops for the Black Community
Think Outside the Boss provides community members an introduction into the nuts and bolts of starting and running a cooperatively owned business. We go over legal issues in an accessible way to help you understand the relationships between cooperatives, employment, and community wealth-building.
In collaboration with the Repaired Nations and Cooperation Richmond, we are providing regular teach-ins that go through our legal guide for starting and operating worker cooperatives, Think Outside the Boss!
We'll be presenting sections of Think Outside the Boss over multiple sessions over the next few months. Our second teach-in will cover:
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How does employment law change the way worker coop members work together?
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What does it mean for worker owners to have an employee?
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In a worker cooperative, should members be treated as employees or owners?
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What do worker owners need to know to protect themselves, other members, and marginalized communities?
If you are an African American entrepreneur starting a business, an existing business owner thinking about succession plans and you have Black workers, or an existing worker coop with black worker-members looking for a refresher, this training is for you! >>> RSVP BELOW!
Food and drinks provided!
Workshop Session 2 will cover:
-
How do you spread ownership and control across a group of people?
-
What are some models of participatory management and democratic governance?
-
How does employment laws effect worker coops?
Workshop Session 3 will cover:
-
How do you raise money for a cooperative?
-
What are the tax and accounting issues in a cooperative?
Attorneys, artists, law students, and experienced cooperative professionals will give short presentations on legal issues, governance structures, financing, cooperative conversion, and more! At the event, we will have bound copies of the Think Outside the Boss manual for paying attendees! You can also download it for free prior to the event here.
This event is being sponsored by the San Francisco Foundation, Cooperation Richmond and Repaired Nations.
Thank you!
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Tuesday, May 14, 2019 at 05:00 PM · 4 rsvps
Alchemy Collective CafeLegal Cafe
The Sustainable Economies Law Center provides direct legal support to individuals and groups who are working to create new solutions for resilient local economies. The Resilient Communities Legal Cafe is a first-come, first-serve, donation-based legal advice clinic, providing a collaborative space for community building and connecting.
This legal cafe is hosted by Alchemy Collective Cafe, an awesome worker-owned cafe! They've hosted us once a month since 2012! For free! Thank you Alchemy!
Everyone is welcome to attend this cafe. Please RSVP below.
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Thursday, May 23, 2019 at 06:00 PM
Acta Non Verba Lounge in Oakland, CAThink Outside the Boss: East Oakland Part Two
Cooperative Workshops for the Black Community
Think Outside the Boss provides community members an introduction into the nuts and bolts of starting and running a cooperatively owned business. We go over legal issues in an accessible way to help you understand the relationships between cooperatives, employment, and community wealth-building.
In collaboration with the Repaired Nations and Cooperation Richmond, we are providing regular teach-ins that go through our legal guide for starting and operating worker cooperatives, Think Outside the Boss!
We'll be presenting sections of Think Outside the Boss over multiple sessions over the next few months. Our second teach-in will cover:
-
How does employment law change the way worker coop members work together?
-
What does it mean for worker owners to have an employee?
-
In a worker cooperative, should members be treated as employees or owners?
-
What do worker owners need to know to protect themselves, other members, and marginalized communities?
If you are an African American entrepreneur starting a business, an existing business owner thinking about succession plans and you have Black workers, or an existing worker coop with black worker-members looking for a refresher, this training is for you! >>> RSVP BELOW!
Food and drinks provided!
Workshop Session 2 will cover:
-
How do you spread ownership and control across a group of people?
-
What are some models of participatory management and democratic governance?
-
How does employment laws effect worker coops?
Workshop Session 3 will cover:
-
How do you raise money for a cooperative?
-
What are the tax and accounting issues in a cooperative?
Attorneys, artists, law students, and experienced cooperative professionals will give short presentations on legal issues, governance structures, financing, cooperative conversion, and more! At the event, we will have bound copies of the Think Outside the Boss manual for paying attendees! You can also download it for free prior to the event here.
This event is being sponsored by the San Francisco Foundation, Cooperation Richmond and Repaired Nations.
Thank you!
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Wednesday, June 05, 2019 at 01:30 PM · $5.00 USD · 12 rsvps
WebinarWebinar: How to Become a Lawyer Without Going to Law School
Learn about California's Law Office Study Program and meet three of our staff members who have been or are going through the process of becoming a lawyer without going to law school!
Yassi and Ricardo will present on their experience as apprentices and will teach you how to skip law school and go straight into changing the world!
About the Speakers:
Yassi Eskandari is the Policy Director of the Sustainable Economies Law Center. In 2017, Yassi passed the California bar exam without going to law school. She is honored to join a movement of lawyers who are making our economy work for the planet and the 99 percent.
Ricardo Samir Nuñez is the Director of Economic Democracy at the Law Center. He's also becoming a lawyer without going to law school through the California Law Office Study Program.
For more information about the Legal Cafe, including the areas of law we specialize in, our upcoming teach-ins, and more, please visit www.theselc.org/cafe.
Legal apprentices unite!
Note: We don't want to turn anyone away for lack of funds. Please e-mail tia@theselc.org if you cannot afford the registration fee.
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Wednesday, June 26, 2019 at 05:00 PM
Monument Impact OfficePop-Up Legal Cafe
The Sustainable Economies Law Center provides direct legal support to individuals and groups who are working to create new solutions for resilient local economies. The Resilient Communities Legal Cafe is a first-come, first-serve, donation-based legal advice clinic, providing a collaborative space for community building and connecting.
This pop-up legal cafe is hosted by Monument Impact, a nonprofit whose mission is to ensure that immigrants, refugees and low-income residents in Concord and surrounding communities have the voice, tools and relationships necessary to have an equitable share of the social and economic wealth in our region.
Everyone is welcome to attend this cafe. Please RSVP below. -
Friday, October 11, 2019 at 09:00 AM through October 14, 2019
University of Ghana, Legon in Accra, GhanaYear of Return Exchange Trip: Ghana Conference
We are organizing a cultural exchange trip that is primarily focused on creating pathways for African Americans to re-invest in Africa regeneratively, without perpetuating the problems capitalism perpetuates. Our Cultural Exchange invites Africans from across the continent and U.S. cooperative members and supporters to begin dialogue for a co-created equitable development policy for Ghanaian economic development and beyond.
Dialogue is the key to our trip; it is only through dialogue that two distanced peoples with shared roots can begin to find synergies between themselves, and only through dialogue can new arrivals to Africa know what Africans want for Africa and how to help steward their visions. Co-created equitable development policy can only be built upon discussion, exchange of ideas, and information.
The growing American cohort is a group of cooperative-minded people seeking to learn how Ghanaians in particular, and Africans in general, structure their collective efforts, to offer our experience and expertise to local projects, and to engage critical conversation regarding international cooperative exchange of resources. Attendees will form relationships that bloom into cultural content, import/export agreements, thought partnership, and real estate development.
Please RSVP by making your deposit here.
