Sam Kossack 3L to Attend Peggy Browning Fund Conference
September 4, 2014
Sam Kossack (3L) will represent Thomas Jefferson School of Law at the Peggy Browning Fund’s 16th Annual Worker’s Rights Conference, which will be held near Baltimore, Maryland on October 17 – 18.
“In an era where unions are demonized more than ever, I find the prospect of specializing in labor law an exciting opportunity,” said Kossack. “The Peggy Brown Fund’s Worker’s Rights Conference is one of the country’s most important gatherings of experts in the field. I’m humbled at the opportunity to represent Thomas Jefferson School of Law at the conference, and excited to network with individuals who have a passion for social justice.”
The Peggy Browning Fund is a non-profit that was established in honor of the late Margaret Browning, a prominent labor lawyer who served on the National Labor Relations Board. The Fund exists to “educate and inspire the next generation of law students to become advocates for workplace justice.” To that end, it hosts an annual conference aimed at law students, and provides funding for one student from each law school affiliated with the Fund. The funding covers airfare and accommodations.
The Fund relies on each affiliated law school to select a deserving student to attend the conference. Thomas Jefferson School of Law has sent at least one student to the conference for the past several years. TJSL students have also in the past received prestigious Peggy Browning Fund Fellowship stipends for summer work with labor unions or the National Labor Relations Board.
This year, TJSL’s selection committee was comprised of Career Services Director Jeff Chinn, Professor Rebecca Lee, and Professor Susan Bisom-Rapp. They evaluated an impressive set of student applications.
“I’d like to thank Professor Bisom- Rapp and Professor Lee for instilling in me an excitement for this area of law. Additionally, Jeffery Chinn has been a tremendous asset in preparing me for the conference, said Kossack”
Kossack is the president of the Labor and Employment Law Association (LELA), was vice president of LELA last year, has volunteered at TJSL’s Employee Rights Self Help Clinic, and served as a law clerk for the Employee Rights Center, an NGO located in City Heights.
The 2014 conference features a compelling Friday night panel: “Organizing Low Wage Workers: Innovation in the Face of Desperation.” Students attending the conference will also choose from interactive panels and workshops, including: 1) Introduction to Basic Labor Law; 2) Protecting and Organizing Immigrant Workers; 3) The Rewards of Labor Law Practice; 4) Employee Benefits Law; 5) Sports and Labor Law; 6) Public Sector Labor Law; and 7) International Trade and Workers’ Rights.