This event is an opportunity for us to gather and celebrate the work of our colleagues and the organization. In the face of fascism, our work becomes more important than ever, as does honoring those who have committed themselves to movements for social justice.

We are also excited to welcome our keynote speaker, writer, lawyer, and activist Andrea Ritchie.

You can purchase tickets for the event here.

Keynote Speaker - Andrea Ritchie

Andrea Ritchie is the author of Practicing New Worlds: Abolition & Emergent Strategies, Invisible No More: Police Violence Against Black Women and Women of Color and co-author of  Say Her Name: Resisting Police Brutality Against Black Women, Queer (In)Justice: The Criminalization of LGBT People in the United States, and the forthcoming No More Police: A Case for Abolition. Her movement work spans two decades. She co-founded the Interrupting Criminalization initiative with Mariame Kaba, as well as the In Our Names Network, a network of over 20 organizations working to end police violence against Black women, girls, trans and gender nonconforming people. She currently hosts the Invest/Divest Learning Communities at the Community Resource Hub and supports dozens of organizations across the US working to divest from policing and invest in community safety. She has authored numerous research reports, articles, and opinion pieces on policing, criminalization, mass incarceration, and immigration enforcement. Ritchie was lead counsel in Tikkun v. City of New York, challenging unlawful searches of transgender people in police custody, and has since supported organizations across the country in developing policies around police interactions with women and LGBTQ people. She also served as co-counsel to the Center for Constitutional Rights in Doe v. Jindal. 

Honoree - Denise Heberle

NLG Detroit & Michigan Board member Denise Heberle founded the student NLG chapter at her alma mater, University of Louisville. She cut her teeth working in legal aid, defeating a corrupt housing authority in Chester, PA. Her long career later led to defending workers from discrimination and sexual harassment, and disability rights litigation. Above and beyond all that, Denise's deep generosity in her pro bono work and activism helps keep our chapter running and our Movement safe! She has co-led dozens of Know Your Rights and Legal Observer trainings. She shows up tirelessly in the streets as an on-site attorney and LO across the state, fueled, it seems, by "love and rage." She got arrested while legal observing at a BLM protest in North Carolina. She makes herself available for countless hours of conversation to advise, mentor, and support clients, younger attorneys, and organizers alike. For a period of time, she was the NLG's attorney for most cases west of Detroit and east of Grand Rapids. Most recently, she helped to coordinate volunteer attorneys for the pro-Palestine movement. Activists across Michigan affectionately know her as the "STFU!" attorney because of the famous NLG PSA in which she appears with the late, great Bill Goodman.

In Denise’s words: “I started in legal services just before the Reagan era restrictions kicked in and was fortunate to work in an office that embraced and taught me how to stretch resources to create impact litigation with community engagement and stubborn advocacy. The Guild sustained me through the years of push-back and continues to do so. This Chapter has an incredibly rich history. I believe that we best honor that legacy by making space for, learning from, mentoring, and actively supporting people newer to the struggle and those most affected by the atrocities that Just. Keep. Coming. We have many newer faces whose dedication, creativity, and passion call for respect, support, and encouragement. We have a wealth of new talent and new organizations with which to collaborate.”

Denise takes care of our people with love, insight, and humor, and for this we honor her!

Honoree - Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids

Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids (PSGR) has been organizing in Western Michigan since 2023 to end the genocide in Gaza. They have hosted and/or organized numerous marches, protests, phone zaps, art builds, fundraisers and more, as well as coordinated with other like-minded organizations throughout Michigan and nationally. Throughout 2024, they held weekly protests to demand government action to end the oppression and murder of Palestinians. Facing ever-escalating repression from government forces, PSGR also provides jail support for activists who are arrested for their actions in solidarity with the Palestinian people. 

Unsung Hero - The People’s Sound

The People's Sound was started by a group of out-of-work audio engineers during the George Floyd Uprisings of 2020. Their mission is to literally amplify the voices of the oppressed and to assist in anti-capitalist, anti-racist, and liberation struggles of all kinds. In the past five years they've provided audio services for a multitude of rallies and marches for leftist groups including Detroit Will Breathe, Palestinian Youth Movement, and Detroit Eviction Defense. They've also provided solar-powered mobile sound systems for people living on the Pine Ridge Lakota Reservation and those attending the Fond Du Lac Band of Objibwa Cultural Camp.

Thanks to the work of the People's Sound, when oppressed people's speak, we can hear them!

Law Student Honorees

Hanen Sobh - Wayne Law

Zarin Farook - Michigan Law

Gabe Jimenez - Michigan Law

Caitlin Douma - Michigan Law

Ian Wendrow - Detroit Mercy Law

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We hope to see you at the 2025 Detroit & Michigan National Lawyers Guild legacy dinner!

If you cannot attend in person, but would still like to support our organization, you can sponsor a ticket for an activist or make a one-time donation.

You can purchase tickets for the event here, sponsor an activist, or purchase an advertisement in our digital program.

Please direct any questions to our chapter administrator, Cherise Morris at administrator@michigannlg.org.