The American Bar Association Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service (ABA) and the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) are seeking session proposals for the 2020 Equal Justice Conference.

This conference is designed to bring together all components of the legal community committed to ensuring civil equal justice for low-income people and communities in our society.

In addition to those who work day-to-day to provide access to justice through legal services, pro bono and public interest programs, ABA and NLADA continue to make a concentrated effort to increase the number of private lawyers (whether board members, bar leaders, law firm representatives or volunteer attorneys), judges, and other “partners” who provide so much support to access to justice initiatives. Greater participation of people is also sought from communities across the country that have regular contact with individuals seeking legal assistance in libraries, court clerk offices, and other community places.

Contributions made by the ABA and NLADA to advancing the equal justice movement over the last 100 years have been inextricably intertwined. Two specific goals of the conference include examining: 1) the role that public/private partnerships (pro bono and beyond) have played in helping to close the justice gap; and 2) lessons learned from our past efforts to define what it means to achieve equal justice.

Conference programming will focus on the innovative and creative ways that the equal justice community has maximized and leveraged strategic and collaborative approaches, using a broad range of resources (including the private bar, staffed field programs, law schools, public service lawyers, members of the judiciary and others), to address inequities in our justice system.

Proposals should explore the most current and relevant legal needs of those struggling to achieve access to justice including consumer debt collection and bankruptcy, managing an organization with limited resources, immigration, health care, housing, and new strategies for providing service.

Persons submitting proposals should refer to the session proposal guidelines for detailed information on how to submit, and complete the session proposal submission form online. A video providing guidance on submitting a proposal is also available here.

If you have questions about completing the online form or would like to know more about the RFP process, please contact Vi Pham at vi.pham@americanbar.org or visit the ABA website.

Session proposals are due Wednesday, October 9, 2019