Legal Momentum News Brief - Week of October 1, 2018

If you are being watched, leave now!

October 5, 2018

Legal Momentum Speaks Out During Kavanaugh Hearing 

Legal Momentum has stood with Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and other accusers throughout the Kavanaugh hearing. During the proceedings, Legal Momentum submitted a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee calling for a fair and thorough hearing process that can be read here. Legal Momentum joined with the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence this week to condemn the despicable behavior of national leadership towards Dr. Ford, Julie Swetnick, and other accusers in a press release that can be read here. Legal Momentum has always supported survivors’ voices and lived traumas, and we are deeply disturbed by the proceedings and continued attempts to discredit the accusers.

Weil Foundation Grants $10,000 to Legal Momentum in Honor of Lynn Hecht Schafran 

Legal Momentum Senior Vice President and Director of the National Judicial Education Program Lynn Hecht Schafran is the recipient of the 2018 Weil Luminary Alumnus Award, which recognizes a distinguished alumnus of the firm. She was a speaker at the firm’s 2018 Alumni Day on September 27 in New York City. Ms. Schafran worked at Weil in the late 1970s, prior to joining Legal Momentum (then known as the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund). She has been director of NJEP since 1981 and has received numerous previous honors. 

The Weil Luminary Alumnus is one of the Firm’s most distinguished alumni. In addition to leading a lifelong career of achievements and trailblazing her practice, Ms. Schafran also exemplifies a blend of the key attributes that define a Weil lawyer: excellence in the provision of client services, passionate advocacy of causes and communities in need, and an unwavering commitment to the principles of diversity, inclusion, mentoring and the holistic development of colleagues. In short, she serves as an inspiring and shining example to the Weil community and broader legal profession.

In addition to directing NJEP, Lynn Hecht Schafran, Esq., is also Senior Vice President at Legal Momentum. She serves as a senior staff attorney, litigating and writing in the areas of rape, domestic violence, the intersection of sexual assault and domestic violence, and gender bias in the courts. Her previous honors in recognition of her work to eliminate bias in the courts and end violence against women include the End Violence Against Women Visionary Award and the prestigious American Bar Association Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence Sharon L. Corbitt Award.

National Judicial Education Program Awarded New Federal Grant

On September 28, 2018, Legal Momentum’s National Judicial Education Program (NJEP) was awarded a two-year, $250,000 grant from the Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women. Under this grant, NJEP will educate judges and court professionals about the realities and dangers of teen dating violence, or intimate partner sexual abuse between teens.  

For this new grant, NJEP has partnered with Day One New York (Day One) to create a new curriculum about teen dating violence – which is as epidemic, harmful, and potentially lethal as adult domestic violence – for judges and court professionals. NJEP will be presenting the new curriculum, Understanding Teen Dating Violence, for Minnesota judges as part of a partnership with the Minnesota State Court Administrator’s Office and will present Understanding TDV for other court systems across the country across the grant’s two-year period. Understanding TDV will build off of NJEP’s extant suite of resources for judges and other multidisciplinary professionals, which are available free here. If you are interested in this project, please contact njep@legalmomentum.org for more information.

Jan Kang to Be Honored at 2019 Women of Achievement Dinner

Legal Momentum is delighted to announce that Jan Kang, Chief Legal Officer of Chronicle LLC, will be one of the amazing individuals honored at the March 14, 2019, Women of Achievement Awards Dinner in San Francisco. Chronicle is one of the independent companies within Alphabet, dedicated to helping companies find and stop cyberattacks. Jan has more than 25 years in the legal field and possesses broad expertise in many areas of the law. 

In addition to her corporate work, Jan is also the moving force of the Women’s General Counsel Network (WGCN), whose 650 members are some of the most influential and powerful female general counsels and heads of legal departments across the nation. She has earned numerous honors, including Legal Professional of the Year by the Korean American Bar Association of Northern California. Jan, welcome to the Legal Momentum family! Now in its 14th year, the Women of Achievement Dinner is a traditional fundraising event that will once again take place at the InterContinental Hotel. More honorees will be announced soon! For more information, contact Crystal Williams at cwillams@legalmomentum.org.

Tags: