The Litchfield Historical Society is hosting a program via Zoom on Thursday, March 25 at 6 pm about the Law of Slavery and the Alumni of the Litchfield Law School, the first in the United States.
After attending Tapping Reeve’s law school, graduate Eugenius Nisbet traveled home to Georgia, where he used his legal education to uphold the institution of slavery. The work done by alumni of the Litchfield Law School brought them into direct contact with the law of slavery. Join the Litchfield Historical Society for a special virtual lecture, “The Law of Slavery and Alumni of the Litchfield Law School” with Professor Justin Simard on Thursday, March 25th at 6:00pm. In his talk, Simard will explore the legacy of slave law, the involvement of graduates from Tapping Reeve’s Litchfield Law School, and how slave cases continue to be a part of modern judicial decisions.
Justin Simard is an assistant professor at Michigan State University College of Law, where he teaches Professional Responsibility, Legal History, and Commercial Law. He received his bachelor’s degree in History from Rice University, and he completed his J.D. and Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania. Justin’s research focuses on the relationship between lawyers and economic development. His recent work analyzes how the commercial role of lawyers brought them into direct contact with the law of slavery and how this encounter supported slavery and shaped the development of the profession and the law.
To register, email registration@litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org
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