Sam Kossack Represents TJSL at 2014 Peggy Browning Fund Conference
November 10, 2014
On October 17–18, Sam Kossack (3L) represented Thomas Jefferson School of Law at the Peggy Browning Fund’s 16th Annual Workers’ Rights Conference, which was held near Baltimore, Maryland.
“I attended workshops ranging from The Rewards of Labor Law Practice to Sports and Labor Law. Nancy Schiffer, a member of the National Labor Relations Board, gave an inspiring keynote address. The Peggy Browning Fund’s Workers’ Rights Conference is one of the country’s most important gatherings of experts in the field. I’m humbled that I had the opportunity to represent Thomas Jefferson School of Law at the conference. More than anything, it was awesome to be with like-minded law students and attorneys dedicated to the cause of workers’ rights,” said Kossack.
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.
“I would like to thank this year’s selection committee Professors Susan Bisom-Rapp and Rebeca Lee, and Director of Career Services Jeffery Chinn for giving me the chance to attend the conference. I urge my fellow students to consider labor and employment law as a career option, as there are many exciting opportunities in the field!” said Kossack.
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.
“We live in curious times where labor unions are so frequently vilified. Attending the conference served as a critical reminder for the important role they serve for workers at all income levels. In this era where unions are demonized more than ever, I find the prospect of specializing in labor law an exciting opportunity,” 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.