In training one advocate, we reach dozens of workers each year.  Multiplied throughout the community of employee rights advocates, we touch the lives of thousands of workers nationwide.  The Institute is proud to join the fight for employee rights by equipping advocates with the tools they need to effectively represent their clients.  The Employee Rights Advocacy Scholarship Program provides access to educational and networking opportunities unique to NELA, and adds new voices to our community.

In 2008, The Employee Rights Advocacy Institute For Law & Policy (The Institute) teamed with the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) to fund full and partial scholarships for twenty-nine employee rights advocates to attend NELA's Nineteenth Annual Convention and fall seminar, "Representing Workers in Harassment & Retaliation Claims."  The partnership between The Institute and NELA, and the additional generosity of three donors, made $20,206 in scholarship funds available to legal services, public interest and government organizations, and solo or small firms that otherwise would not have been able to send their advocates to these continuing legal educational (CLE) programs.

Recipients of scholarships for NELA's 2008 Nineteenth Annual Convention tell us the impact that just one Convention has on their advocacy:

I cannot express enough the value this conference has added to our organization's representation of indigent persons in the employment law arena.  Before the conference, I was struggling.  After the conference, I feel armed and better prepared to take on the dark side.  It makes me proud to be a member of such a great organization as NELA.  Thank you very much.

This was the experience of a lifetime - thank you so much.  I plan to practice in the employment area and continue the fight!

The conversations I had with advocates from around the country, particularly those who are/may be interested in representing low-wage and immigrant workers, were invaluable.

A look at our scholarship recipients

• 17 received full scholarships for registration, hotel, and travel;
• 23 had never attended a NELA event;
• 18 are attorneys for legal services, public interest, or government organizations; and
• 11 are private practitioners in solo or small firms.

The Employee Rights Advocacy Scholarships for NELA's 2008 Nineteenth Annual Convention would not have been possible without the generous contributions of the following:

BNA Books, Inc.
Butler & Harris
Kazan McClain Abrams Lyons Greenwood & Harley Foundation, Inc.

The Institute and NELA are grateful to these donors for their support of the Employee Rights Advocacy Scholarship Program. For more information about The Employee Rights Advocacy Scholarship Program, send us an e-mail at info@employeerightsadvocacy.org.