The Night School is a collaboration between LPE NYC and CUNY LPE designed to introduce non-specialists to law and political economy (or “LPE”). From growing inequality to further entrenching hierarchies of race, class, gender and identity, law is inextricably bound up with many of our most pressing problems. But dominant ways of analyzing law can obscure its role in social and economic life. LPE approaches seek to show the way the law structures our distinctive political economy in order to elaborate better tools for making social change.

This series brings together LPE scholars, fellow travelers, and practitioners for moderated public lectures and conversations on selected legal topics. Each session offers a critical exploration of an important issue in contemporary law and policy. Taken as a whole, the series offers a survey of major questions in critical legal thought and advocacy.

The series is open to everyone. Organizers, advocates, and others not currently enrolled in a J.D. program are especially encouraged to attend. All sessions will meet at CUNY School of Law.

This academic year, the Night School is focusing on municipal governance in NYC. Specifically, our series has explored the political economic history of NYC, the different nodes of power found in city government, and how social movements organize to achieve their goals at the municipal level.