Transformative Justice Initiative Interest Meeting

The Transformative Justice Initiative is excited to host its initial meeting on Wednesday, September 16, from 12:00 – 1:00 PM in Room 244. The meeting will feature guest speaker Josh Spickler, the executive director of Just City and a former Shelby County assistant public defender.

TJI was formed in Spring 2025, making it one of Memphis Law’s newer student organizations. At this meeting, we’ll introduce new and returning members to TJI’s mission, share this year’s events and community partnership opportunities, and walk through how you can get involved. We’ll also answer questions about what transformative justice, movement lawyering, and abolition-centered advocacy look like in practice at Memphis Law.

What is TJI?

TJI is a Memphis Law student organization dedicated to confronting the criminal legal system’s role in mass incarceration, over-policing, and punitive practices, while uplifting community-centered approaches rooted in healing, accountability, and care. Our goal is to equip law students with tools for movement lawyering, abolitionist legal strategies, public defense, and community partnership through panels, workshops, and collaborations with advocates and impacted communities.

Why Get Involved?

TJI offers law students the chance to:

• Learn and practice community-engaged lawyering skills through panels, teach-ins, and workshops with local organizers and practitioners.
• Build professional connections across Memphis’ criminal legal system ecosystem and explore public interest/social justice pathways.
• Collaborate on student-led programming that advances racial and civil justice in our city’s unique civil-rights legacy.

Whether you want to help plan events, conduct research for partner organizations, support public campaigns, or just learn more about transformative justice/criminal legal reform, your level of commitment is up to you—every contribution matters!

This Year at a Glance

Possible activities that TJI will coordinate this year include:

• Panels & Conversations with community advocates, public defenders, and scholars
• Skill-building workshops on movement lawyering, client-centered advocacy, and policy strategy
• Community engagement opportunities with local organizations working to reduce harm and expand real safety
• Student-led projects that connect classroom learning to on-the-ground justice work

Event Details

📅 Wednesday, September 16
🕛 12:00 – 1:00 PM
📍 Room 244
🥪 Bring your own lunch

Questions? Reach out to:

• Tyler Foster, President – Tyler.Foster@memphis.edu
• Matthew Deutsch, Vice President – ljtnkrsl@memphis.edu 
• Lauryn Carr, Community Outreach Coordinator – lcarr1@memphis.edu