Named in honor of Norman Amaker, a beloved Indiana law professor who dedicated his life to civil rights and racial justice, the inaugural Amaker Retreat, held in March 2002, was organized around the theme “Ground Zero is Everywhere There is Poverty: Ensuring Rights, Liberties & Opportunities In the Current Anti-Terrorist Climate.” After several years in hiatus, the Norman Amaker Public Interest Law Retreat relocated from University of Indiana, Indianapolis, to Loyola-Chicago School of Law where students under the leadership of Professor Emily Benfer, an alum of several Amaker retreats, organized this year's retreat. The 2012 Amaker Retreat will be held on February 24-26, 2012. The 2012 Amaker Program is now available. Download the PDF.

Shortly before his untimely death in the summer of 1986 at the age of 42, Robert Cover, a beloved law professor, legal scholar, and social activist at Yale Law School, circulated a memorandum among his colleagues on the faculty, advocating the creation of an annual public interest retreat for law students, law teachers, and public interest practitioners that would serve four related purposes: First, it would be an opportunity to break the isolation. Students from around the country with common concerns would get to know one another and would realize our national scope of problems and professional opportunity. Second, students would interact with lawyers, legal academics, and other professionals who might provide both practical guidance and role models for the variety of possible public service careers. Third, the conference would be a forum for thinking about reform or change of legal education. Fourth, the conference would provide students with a jump-off or starting place for the formulation of programmatic politics of legal change. The 2012 Robert Cover Retreat which is the 25th Annual gathering, is being organized by students at Albany Law School and Vermont Law School and will be held the weekend of March 2-4, 2012 at the Sargent Center in Peterborough, NH.

Trina Grillo Social Justice Retreat: The Trina Grillo Social Justice Retreat provides a unique opportunity for public interest and social justice-oriented law students, faculty, and practitioners to exchange viewpoints, explore career opportunities, and formulate strategies for social justice. In 2012, the Trina Grillo Retreat will be hosted by Golden Gate University School of Law on Saturday and Sunday, March 24-25, 2012.