The American Constitution Society for Law and Policy (ACS), Center for American Progress (CAP), and Washington Council of Lawyers (WCL) present:

Narrowing the Justice Gap: Legal Services for the Poor in an Economic Downturn

Due to the economic downturn, low income families have increasingly faced such issues as foreclosures, bankruptcies, and access barriers to unemployment insurance and other safety net programs. A good lawyer could be the difference between being overwhelmed by these circumstances and effectively surviving these harsh times.

Yet, just as the economy is negatively impacting the poor, it is equally affecting the lawyers who serve them. Nationally, legal aid organizations are facing mounting budgetary strains, with some laying off workers and cutting back on services. This is widening the justice gap between the haves and the have-nots.

On Wednesday, July 8, 2009, ACS, CAP, and WCL will co-sponsor a lunchtime event featuring two panels, including experts with a variety of perspectives, that will discuss federal level policy solutions, the nationwide impact of the downturn on legal services programs, and an in-depth look at how one community, Washington, DC, is coping with strained resources amidst a swelling demand for services.

Panel One: Legal Services on the National Stage

Professor Peter B. Edelman, Georgetown University Law Center

 

Ted Frank, Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research

 

Don Saunders, Director of Civil Legal Services, National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA)

 

Moderator, Joy Moses, Policy Analyst, CAP Poverty & Prosperity Program

 

Panel Two: Poverty Law in the District of Columbia

Susan M. Hoffman, Public Service Partner, Crowell & Moring LLP

 

Jonathan M. Smith, Executive Director, Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia

 

The Honorable Inez Smith Reid, Associate Judge, District of Columbia Court of Appeals

 

Moderator, Steven L. Grumm, WCL’s Board President and Director of Public Service Initiatives at NALP

 

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m.

Click here to register