Full scholarships, registration fee waivers, and discounts are widely available to attorneys and staff working for nonprofit/legal services organizations; pro bono attorneys/volunteers (providing no-fee legal assistance to clients individually or through an organization); government attorneys; judges and judicial law clerks; law professors and law students; senior attorneys (age 65 and over); unemployed attorneys; and others with financial hardships. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply.

Why You Should Attend

In the post-#metoo viral campaign era and with increasing advances in technology, social media platforms and applications, it is critical that young people learn of their rights and obligations at the intersection of their digital lives and intimacy.

Although the platforms are neutral and can and are used for very positive and socially-beneficial initiatives, social media has in many ways magnified the complexity of the issues teens and young adults face, as well as the potential for unintended consequences. Through this program, you will learn how to advise young people to make healthy decisions by giving them a clearer understanding of their legal rights and obligations in the digital realm, with reference to the requirements of representative terms of service provisions that apply to most popular social media and online platforms.

The specific goals of this program are to train attorneys on 1) empowering teens and young adults to know and exercise their rights in relation to online misconduct and related criminal conduct, 2) content directed at deterring unlawful online and related misconduct that far too often results in tragic outcomes, and 3) how best to engage teen and young adult bystanders to help their peers to navigate the pitfalls of technology misuse and to report misconduct.

The Cyber Dignity Program will cover issues ranging from cyberbullying, sexual consent, human trafficking, online hate crimes and the increasing practice of teen sexting, in which people share sexual images of themselves that can then be easily disseminated to unintended recipients, and the potential legal consequences for those involved. You will learn the Cyber Dignity Program curriculum, as well as how to replicate an effective version of the Cyber Dignity Program to launch at any high school or college in California. The curriculum focuses on combatting a victim-blaming culture that can be worryingly prevalent in schools by providing an in-depth overview of the legal framework and concepts that empower victims of online crimes and related misconduct.

What You Will Learn

How to create a pro bono program focused on Cyber Dignity Program instruction
California and federal criminal law relevant to the Cyber Dignity Program, including human trafficking, child pornography, hate crimes, cyber-harassment and cyber-stalking
California civil cases of action relevant to the Cyber Dignity Program, such as defamation, disclosure of private facts and harassment
Identifying legal and mental health resources for teens and young adults in the communities in which the Cyber Dignity Program is taught

Who Should Attend

This innovative program (the “Cyber Dignity Program”) will provide instruction to attorneys who are interested in increasing their pro bono engagement in the furtherance of the safety and dignity of teens and young adults—both offline and online. Attorneys from all practice areas who are interested in pro bono work can make a significant impact by learning about and implementing a program based on knowledge of the laws in areas of increasing significance to teens and young adults: social media and the digital realm, more generally.