Events Calendar

“Making the Sharing Economy Work for Everyone”

An address by visionary attorney Janelle Orsi, Executive Director & Co-Founder of the Sustainable Economies Law Center, visiting the Law School as the G. Rollie White Scholar in Residence

Lunch provided

Event synopsis: From tool lending libraries, to municipal bike shares, to multi-billion dollar online platforms like Uber and Airbnb, the "sharing economy" is spreading rapidly. While there are clear environmental and social benefits, the sharing economy has not yet proven itself to be a complete remedy for social inequities and environmental ills, particularly when profit-driven companies act as intermediaries of peer-to-peer sharing. What can we do to ensure that the sharing economy will reduce consumption, while building economic prosperity for all? What safeguards exist to protect workers, users, communities, and environments? How should governments regulate activities in the sharing economy? What governance and ownership structures will produce the best social outcomes? Janelle Orsi will discuss the rapidly changing state of the sharing economy as well as ways in which the sharing economy could be, and in some cases is already, a truly transformative force for social and environmental justice.

About Janelle Orsi: Janelle Orsi is the Executive Director & Co-Founder of the Sustainable Economies Law Center in Oakland, CA, which facilitates the growth of more sustainable and localized economies through education, research, and advocacy. Orsi also has her own law and mediation practice focused on helping individuals and organizations share resources and create more sustainable communities. She works with social enterprises, non-profits, cooperatives, community gardens, cohousing communities, ecovillages, and others doing innovative work to change the world. Her primary areas of legal specialty are real estate, small business, nonprofit, and estate planning law. She is also the author of Practicing Law in the Sharing Economy. For more information, see http://www.theselc.org/staff

Orsi's visit as a G. Rollie White Public Interest Scholar is supported by a generous gift from the G. Rollie White Trust. The program brings outstanding legal scholars, practitioners and advocates from the field of public service to Texas Law to foster discussion of issues related to public interest law, to raise the profile of lawyers working in this area, and to encourage students to view public service as an honored and expected part of every legal career. Orsi is Texas Law’s sixth G. Rollie White Public Interest Scholar.

For students interested in the intersection between litigation and family law, the Board of Advocates invites you to it's second annual career panel.

Lunch to be served

Panelists will be announced at a later date.

Contact boa.utlaw@gmail.com for more information.

We will discuss how to successfully navigate the small and midsize firm market. You’ll also learn about how to effectively guide your search, network, and why working in a small firm might be right for you.

RSVP by Monday, February 13, on Symplicity by selecting the “Events” tab. Lunch will be served.

The Texas Law chapter of If/When/How is hosting a volunteer training for Jane's Due Process (JDP). JDP is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides free legal services to pregnant teens in Texas. Volunteers assist with running JDP's 24-hour hotline and doing intakes for teens.

Lunch will be provided!

Former Texas NAACP President and civil rights attorney Gary Bledsoe will speak to the student body about the state of the law affecting African Americans in honor of black history month as well as the ways in which students and lawyers can get involved to change the future.