Download Model letter to university chancellors to protest sex discrimination on state campuses.

Background:  At the 2007 AAUW-CA convention, LAF speaker Dr. Janet Conney ended her speech describing her successful litigation against UCLA by noting that the university had not required the policies of discrimination to change, even after losing the lawsuit, and others were filing new lawsuits for continued wage discrimination and harrassment.  She suggested that everyone who is a graduate of any of the universities involved in LAF litigation write a letter to the chancellor to protest and let the universities know we will withdraw financial support from the university until discrimination ends.  She also suggested that all of us, as taxpayers, should write similar letters of protest to both the universities and our legislators.

Download the Association LAF/Update newsletter, Summer 2006

The AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund (LAF), founded in 1981, provides funding and a support system for women challenging sex discrimination in higher education.  It is the nation’s largest legal fund focused solely on this objective.  LAF operates as a program of the AAUW Educational Foundation.

For twenty-five years LAF has helped students, faculty, staff, and administrators in higher education fight all forms of discriminatory practices: sexual harassment, denial of tenure or promotion, pay inequity, and inequality in women’s athletics programs.

LAF promotes equity in higher education by

• Providing case support for women in sex discrimination lawsuits
• Educating the college and university community about sex discrimination and offering public educations programs designed to improve discriminatory conditions
• Organizing a network of volunteer attorneys and social scientists who consult on legal strategies, resources, and the merit of current and potential lawsuits
• Recognizing innovative efforts to improve the climate for campus women through the Progress in Equity Award

Since 1981 LAF has funded more than 100 cases across the U.S. and donated over a million dollars. The cost of litigation is enormous. According to California attorney Dan Siegel, who has represented several LAF-supported plaintiffs, the standard costs include:

• Attorneys’ time for each full day of preparation and trial: $3,500 - $5,000
• Court reporter for each day of deposition: $1,000
• Transcripts of plaintiff’s deposition: $500 per day, typically three to eight days
• Expert witness: up to $5,000
• Jury and court reporter fees per day of trial: about $500.

The cost to the plaintiff, even if she has LAF support, is almost insurmountable, especially if the case is not decided in her favor. Contributions to the Legal Advocacy Fund are a tangible way to assist litigants with these costs and to support the mission of the Legal Advocacy Fund.

Click HERE make a tax-deductible donation to the Legal Advocacy Fund.

LAF promotes equity for women in higher education by:

Providing case support for sex discrimination lawsuits

Educating the college and university community about sex discrimination and ways to improve conditions through campus outreach, including On Track, empowerment training for faculty seeking to advance in academe

Organizing a network of volunteer attorneys and social scientists who consult with women on legal strategies, resources, and the strength of current and potential lawsuits

Recognizing innovative efforts to improve the climate for campus women through the Progress in Equity Award (nomination deadline March 15)

Quick Clicks

Cases

Current and Past LAF-Supported Cases
By Grievance
By Institution
Applications for Case Support
Case Support Q&A

Navigating the Legal System

Headlines

10 Tips Featured in Ann Landers
News Releases
Women Welcome: Does Your College Campus Measure Up?

For Branches and States:

LAF Public Service Announcements for Title IX
Legal Advocacy Fund Tool Kit (in Member Center)
Readers Theater (contact laf@aauw.org for a copy)

To learn more about the AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund or join the LAF network of volunteer attorneys and social scientists, e-mail laf@aauw.org, call 800/326-AAUW ext. 145, or write

AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund
1111 Sixteenth St. N.W.
Washington, DC 20036