Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
1401 New York Avenue, NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20005

For Immediate Release
Contacts:
Stacie B. Miller
202-662-8317
smiller@lawyerscommittee.org
March 14, 2008

John Brittain, Chief Counsel and Senior Deputy Director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Delivers GW University Paralegal Studies Program Lecture Discusses Recent United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Testimony

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 14, 2008 – On March 12, John C. Brittain, chief counsel and senior deputy director, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, presented the George Washington (GW) University Paralegal Studies Program Lecture in a class of students joined by faculty and staff.  He discussed his recent attendance at the meeting of the 72nd Session of the United Nations (UN) Committee in Geneva, Switzerland on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) as it reviewed the U.S. government’s periodic report to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.   

Brittain enlightened attendees regarding the binding treaty obligation which was adopted by the UN in 1965 and signed by the U.S. in 1994.  He praised the significance of the treaty to human rights issues both nationally and abroad.  “It provides universal guidelines for addressing underlying factors of discrimination, includes civil rights and socio-economic rights and provides another tool for domestic advocacy,” said Brittain.  Callie Kozlak, project coordinator in the Educational Opportunities Project at the Lawyers’ Committee, joined Brittain at the GW presentation and the UN in Geneva.

He further noted the importance of periodic CERD reporting to the Committee as required by the treaty, specifically noting the benefits of reports from non-governmental organization (NGOs) as opposed to sole reporting from the U.S. government:  “the civil society presents research and data on disparities; ensures that the U.S. addresses defacto discrimination and fulfills its legal obligation to comply with treaty and UN recommendations.  Students were encouraged to learn more about international human rights norms and to compare them with United States domestic civil rights principles.

Following eight years of civil rights and private law practice experience, Brittain heeded the call to teach law.  He served on the faculty at the University of Connecticut Law School for two decades, where he developed a special expertise in international and domestic human rights as a public interest advocate and author of published articles. He regularly taught civil and political rights, torts, administrative law and civil procedure. Additionally, he coordinated the Business Law Research Project, and frequently served as faculty advisor for the Latino and Black Law Student Associations. Brittain then served as dean of the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas.

The GW program, presented in association with the GW Law School, is one of the few programs in the country to offer a master’s degree in paralegal studies.  The program prepares students to enter an increasingly competitive profession with confidence and acumen. A rigorous course of study provides comprehensive education in corporate law, litigation, legal research and writing, and includes in-depth study of government, intellectual property and international law.

The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (LCCRUL), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. The principal mission of the Lawyers' Committee is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice under law, particularly in the areas of housing, community development, employment; voting; education and environmental justice.  For more information about the LCCRUL, visit www.lawyerscommittee.org.

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