Know Your Rights.

The Arkansas Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild is proud to offer free “Know Your Rights!” trainings to activists, civic organizations, and educational organizations in the state.

Why “Know Your Rights”?

The rights created under the United States Constitution apply to every person in the United States. Everyone can benefit from learning to assert and protect their civil rights. However, there is a particular need for people who are targeted because of their race or their engagement in political advocacy or social justice movements to learn and apply these skills.

Knowing your rights minimizes the likelihood of unwanted entanglement in the legal system and positions you for the best possible outcome if a legal issue does arise. Unwanted legal issues cost time, resources, and the energy of organizations engaged in political advocacy. Knowing your rights is a tool to protect yourself and your community.

There is a pressing need for communities threatened by over-policing and discrimination in the legal system to learn and apply these skills. When disproportionate policing targets communities of color, homeless youth, LGBTQ+ communities, and poor and working class people, the results of even minor offenses can disadvantage individuals for a lifetime and negatively affect entire communities. Knowing your rights is a tool to protect yourself and your community.

Our Trainings

The National Lawyers Guild’s Know Your Rights trainings teach people how to protect their federally-granted constitutional rights during encounters with law enforcement officers. Training sessions are typically around one hour.

Topics include:
• what to do if law enforcement want to question you or search you;
• what rights do you have during different stages of interaction with law enforcement;
• whether it is legal to film law enforcement in Arkansas; and
• what to do if you have a negative experience with a law enforcement officer.

These trainings are presented by experienced attorneys to help people assert their federally-granted civil rights and interact with law enforcement with confidence. Although the trainings pertain to common legal issues, the trainings are not intended as legal advice and do not establish an attorney-client relationship.