The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) Legal Observer program is part of a comprehensive system of legal support designed to enable people to express their political views as fully as possible without unconstitutional disruption or interference by the police and with the fewest possible consequences from the criminal justice system.
NLG Legal Observers (LOs) are not part of the demonstration. LOs observe and document interactions between law enforcement and demonstrators in anticipation of future civil or criminal litigation under the direction of NLG attorneys. NLG Legal Observers do not negotiate with law enforcement, provide legal advice, or serve as peace marshals.
Find out more about the National Lawyers Guild’s Legal Observer program here.
If you are requesting LOs for the first time, please read the following before submitting your request:
“The recent rapid growth of the movement has created a need for renewed clarity around the role of NLG Legal Observers (LO). We’re asking community partners like you to help educate new organizers about the purpose of protest, and the place of Legal Observers within the movement ecosystem. The LO’s purpose is singular: to document police interactions with protesters in order to decrease state interference with First Amendment activity. We do not provide security (though we fully support marshals handling that role), assist in protest planning, or collaborate with police. This distinction has become especially crucial as we’ve seen troubling instances of new organizers confusing our role or (more concerningly) inviting police participation as security, escorts, or speakers. These invitations create an impossible contradiction for our abolitionist work: we cannot effectively monitor state violence when the state is an invited participant. These principles are familiar to experienced movement builders but may require additional learning for newer partners, so we deeply appreciate your support in guiding our growing community!” If you have questions, please feel to send us an email!
You can learn more about modern police abolition by exploring these resources:
- The Purpose of Protest
- The Meaning of Abolitionist
- Are Prisons Obsolete? By Angela Davis
- Watch Whose Streets?
- FAQ on NLG’s Resolution for the Abolition of Policing
Request Legal Observers
Ideally, all requests for LOs would be submitted one week in advance of your action, but we understand things move fast sometimes. If you are an organizer planning a political action in any of these areas, please fill out the form and the LO coordinator in that area will get back to you soon!
Northwest Ohio // Northeast Ohio // Central Ohio // Dayton // Greater Cincinnati
Currently, we do not have a program in SE Ohio. If you live in SE Ohio and are planning a political action, please reach out to us directly at ohio@nlg.org.
Become a Legal Observer
LOs are anyone who have:
- Good judgement in tough situations!
- Able to walk 3mi+ outside, in a crowd.* Available for ~3hr shifts.
- Legally available to testify in a U.S. or Ohio court, and do not have conflicts of interest due to working with state actors (generally, law enforcement).
- Willing to utilize the Signal app
You do not have to be an attorney or have legal experience! We offer our own training, and make sure you are prepared before you go out. The best legal observers are the people who like being outside, around people, and are cool under pressure.
*If being outside and walking around in a crowd isn’t for you, but you meet all the other criteria and want to help, reach out to us at ohio@nlg.org! There may be other projects you could work on.
Legal Observer Training
LO TRAININGS NW, SW, CENTRAL OHIO HERE
There are two steps to becoming an LO in NW, SW, or Central Ohio. If you have any questions, please reach out to ohio@nlg.org.com.
STEP 1 – TRAINING (~1-1.5 hrs) “CLASSROOM” – Ohio-NLG offers this “Classroom” training virtually on an as-needed basis. *If you are from NE Ohio, but have taken this training, it will counts towards “Part I Classroom.”
STEP 2 – SIGN CONFIDENTIALITY FORM – After completing the Classroom Training you will receive a confidentiality form from your trainer for your review and signature. Make sure to check your junk folder, but if you haven’t received it in a week, reach out to us because you should have.
LO TRAINING IN NORTHEAST OHIO HERE
There are three steps to becoming an LO in Northeast Ohio. If you have any questions, please reach out to clelegalobservers@gmail.com.
STEP 1 – TRAINING PART I (~2hrs) “CLASSROOM” – Both NEOhio LO Program and Ohio-NLG offer this training, however Northeast Ohio’s is in-person and specific to NEO. *Ohio-NLG offers Part I virtually, so if you’ve taken that, it counts in NEO.
STEP 2 – TRAINING PART II (~1.5hrs) SIMULATIONS – Offered by the NEOhio LO Program only. This is an in-person training that generally follows Part I.
STEP 3 – SIGN CONFIDENTIALITY FORM – After completing both Part I & Part II, you will receive our NEO-NLG confidentiality form for your review and signature. After completing the Classroom Training Part I & II you will receive a confidentiality form from your trainer for your review and signature. Make sure to check your junk folder, but if you haven’t received it in a week, reach out to us because you should have.
NOTE: Part I & II are generally offered back-to-back in a brown-bag style lunch seminar on a weekend, so if you’d like to complete your full LO training all at once, look for those! Don’t see a training date here that works for you? No worries; let us know on the form, and we’ll keep you posted about future dates.
Ohio National Lawyers Guild 