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BURLINGTON, VT. – Vermont Governor Peter E. Shumlin, Representative Peter Welch (D-Vt.), distinguished jurists, and leaders of the legal aid community in New England and Canada will gather in Burlington, Vt. on Monday, July 18, for panel discussions on how to expand access to justice. The ���˶��� (LSC) is hosting the discussions in conjunction with its Board of Directors’ quarterly meeting.

The event will feature two panels focused on ways to increase access to civil legal assistance. Governor Shumlin, Representative Welch, and LSC Chairman John G. Levi will make introductory remarks. The first panel, “The Importance of Access to Justice to the Judiciary,” will feature Judge Peter W. Hall, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; Justice Gary E. Hicks, New Hampshire Supreme Court; Judge Joseph N. LaPlante, U.S. District Court, District of New Hampshire; Justice Andrew M. Mead, Maine Supreme Judicial Court; Chief Justice Paul L. Reiber, Vermont Supreme Court; and Justice Beth Robinson, Vermont Supreme Court. LSC General Counsel and Vice President for Legal Affairs Ron Flagg will moderate the session.

Lisa Foster, Director of the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Access to Justice, will moderate the second panel, “Access to Justice in Canada,” which will provide an international perspective on civil legal aid. This discussion will feature Mark Benton, Chief Executive Officer, British Columbia Legal Services Society; Ab Currie, Senior Research Fellow, Canadian Forum on Civil Justice; and Michele Leering, Access to Justice Committee, Canadian Bar Association.

Foster will also deliver luncheon remarks.

The panels will be held from 10:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. at the Hilton Burlington Hotel at 60 Battery Street, Burlington, Vt. The LSC Board will meet July 17–19 at the hotel. Details on the board and committee meetings may be found in a notice published on the LSC website: www.lsc.gov.