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CHICAGO –  Leaders from law and business will gather for the ���˶���’s (LSC) Forum on Access to Justice on Monday, November 12, in Chicago. The forum will focus on ways of addressing the most critical civil legal aid issues faced by seven in 10 low-income American households each year.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, University of Chicago Law School Dean Thomas Miles, and LSC Board Chair John G. Levi will offer opening remarks on the importance of increasing access to justice for low-income families and individuals. American Bar Association (ABA) President Bob Carlson, ABA President-Elect Judy Perry Martinez, and Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Dean Kimberly Yuracko will also deliver remarks at the forum.

The forum will feature three panels. The first, “The Importance of Access to Justice to the Judiciary,” will emphasize the importance of addressing the civil legal needs of struggling Americans and the toll self-represented litigants take on the justice system. The panelists will include four state supreme court justices: Nebraska Chief Justice Michael Heavican, Ohio Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, Hawaii Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald, and Vermont Chief Justice Paul Reiber.

The second panel, “Meeting the Civil Legal Needs of Low-income Veterans,” will focus on the need to support individuals who have served our country by helping them overcome the legal barriers that strain their financial health and personal welfare. Panelists will include legal aid providers and military and veterans’ affairs representatives.

Following the second panel, a technology presentation, “Using Text Messaging to Improve the Delivery of Legal Services,” will examine the benefits of using mobile phone services to expand support for low-income Americans in need of legal assistance.   

Executives from leading businesses across the country, including United Airlines and Ventas, will speak at the final panel, “Perspectives on Access to Justice from the Business Community.” This panel will highlight why civil legal aid matters to businesses and the role business leaders can play in helping spread the message about the crisis in civil legal aid.

Harriet Miers, former White House Counsel and Locke Lorde partner, and University of Chicago President Robert Zimmer will deliver closing remarks.

The Forum on Access to Justice will take place at the University of Chicago Law School, 1111 E.  60^th Street, from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. CST. Members of the press are invited to attend.

The forum will also be livestreamed via Facebook Live. To view the briefing, visit LSC’s during the event.

See below for a complete list of speakers. 

FORUM ON ACCESS TO JUSTICE

Remarks

John G. Levi, Board Chairman, ���˶��� & Partner, Sidley Austin LLP
Dean Thomas J. Miles, University of Chicago Law School
The Honorable Lisa Madigan, Attorney General, State of Illinois

Panel: The Importance of Access to Justice to the Judiciary 

Chief Justice Michael G. Heavican, Nebraska Supreme Court
Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht, Supreme Court of Texas
Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, Supreme Court of Ohio
Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald, Hawaii Supreme Court
Chief Justice Paul L. Reiber, Vermont Supreme Court
Moderator: Judge Jonathan J. Lippman, Of Counsel, Latham & Watkins LP & Former Chief Judge of New York

Remarks 

Robert Carlson, President, American Bar Association & Shareholder, Corette Black Carlson & Mickelson, P.C.

Technology Presentation: Using Text Messaging to Improve the Delivery of Legal Services 

Judy Perry Martinez, President-Elect, American Bar Association & Of Counsel, Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn LLP
Vivian Hessel, Chief Information Officer, Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago
Teri Ross, Interim Executive Director, Illinois Legal Aid Online

Panel: Meeting the Civil Legal Needs of Low-income Veterans 

Jim Cook, Executive Director, Idaho Legal Aid Services
Nan Heald, Executive Director, Pine Tree Legal Assistance
Trish McGill, Chair, Illinois Access to Civil Justice Council & Former General Counsel, Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs
The Honorable Patrick J. Murphy, Former Undersecretary of the United States Army
Polli Pollem, Military Assistance Project Director, Indiana Legal Services
Moderator: Ronald S. Flagg, Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel, ���˶���

Remarks 

Dean Kimberly A. Yuracko, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law

Panel: Perspectives on Access to Justice from the Business Community

Debra A. Cafaro, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Ventas, Inc.
James S. Crown, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Henry Crown & Company
Brett J. Hart, Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer, and General Counsel, United Airlines, Inc.
John W. Rogers Jr., Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Investment Officer, Ariel Investments, LLC
William Rockwell “Rocky” Wirtz, Principal Owner and Chairman, Chicago Blackhawks & President, Wirtz Corporation
Moderator: Martha L. Minow, Board Vice Chair, ���˶��� & 300th Anniversary University Professor, Harvard University

Closing Remarks 

Harriet Miers, Co-Chair, LSC Leaders Council & Partner, Locke Lord LLP
Robert J. Zimmer, President, University of Chicago