50th Anniversary Events: In Review
Celebrating 50 Years of Making a Difference
To mark 50 years of increasing access to justice for all, LSC hosted three events gathering leaders, stakeholders and clients in the civil legal aid community:
- The 50th Anniversary Luncheon and Gala in Washington, DC
- The "Take a Leap for Justice" Symposium in Chicago, IL
- The Special Luncheon and Forum on Increasing Access to Justice in Houston, TX
"Take a Leap for Justice" Symposium
Chicago, IL
Governor J.B. Pritzker and leaders of the Illinois legal, business and professional sports communities joined the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) as it celebrated its 50th anniversary year with an access to justice symposium in Chicago on Thursday, February 29. Additional speakers included Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis, American Bar Association President Mary Smith, MacArthur Foundation Board of Directors Chair Martha Minow, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Rebecca Pallmeyer and LSC Board Chairman John Levi. Executive Directors for LSC’s Illinois grantees discussed their organizations’ continued efforts to close the justice gap for low-income Illinoisans. The symposium at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law was followed by a reception.
50th Anniversary Forum and Gala
Washington, DC
LSC's 50th Anniversary Forum and Gala took place at the Omni Shoreham Hotel and brought together the nation’s foremost justice leaders, who spoke of their belief in the rule of law, but also underscored that the American ideal of equal justice under the law has not yet been realized for low-income Americans. The events featured speakers such as United States Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Attorney General Merrick Garland and best-selling author and lawyer John Grisham alongside other advocates for access to justice, including former United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Grantee clients shared their stories highlighting the positive impact of civil legal aid in their lives, grounding the events in the bipartisan movement towards ensuring access to justice.
“Equality under law remains a goal rather than a complete accomplishment, and equality under law requires lawyers. That is of course where the Legal Services Corporation comes in.”
Access to Justice Forum
Houston, TX
LSC kicked off it's 50th anniversary year with a forum in Houston, TX, joined by Reps. Lizzie Fletcher (TX-7) and Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18), as well as other leaders of the Texas legal community. The first in a series of nationwide events, this forum featured panel discussions of two significant topics in access to justice. The first panel on domestic violence came as news reports indicate that DV cases have rapidly increased since the pandemic. In the second panel discussion, members of the Texas Access to Justice Commission looked at the role of regulatory reform in expanding access to legal help for low-income and rural Americans.