Since 1984, the Edward V. Sparer Symposium has been one of the Law School’s cornerstone events. By focusing on urgent social justice issues of our time, the Sparer Symposium commemorates the life and work of the late Edward V. Sparer, Professor of Law and Social Policy. The Symposium brings together academics, practitioners, community members, activists, and organizers to provide insight into the dynamic relationship between scholarship and practice in the area of poverty law.
42nd Annual Edward V. Sparer Symposium
The 42nd Annual Edward V. Sparer Symposium was held on Friday, February 10, 2023 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm EST.
The symposium, Democracy from the Ground Up: The Power of People-Centered Advocacy, examined the fragile state of our democracy. Through interdisciplinary conversations with experts, activists, and scholars from across the country, we investigated alternative modes of organizing and how the power of the collective can protect our fracturing democracy. This symposium took the form of moderated panels on voting rights, state and local elections, labor organizing, and the future of organizing and legal strategy.

Reimagining Freedom
40th Annual Edward V. Sparer Symposium

Divesting from State Violence
38th Annual Edward V. Sparer Symposium

A Country Divided
36th Annual Edward V. Sparer Symposium

Law 2.0: Progress and Challenges for Justice in the Digital Age
34th Annual Edward V. Sparer Symposium

Partnering Against Poverty
30th Annual Edward V. Sparer Symposium

Crime in the City
28th Annual Edward V. Sparer Symposium