Representative William Lacy Clay Jr. Joins Legal Community for Legal Services Corporation’s Access to Justice Forum
ST. LOUIS – Legal aid providers, members of the judiciary, and leaders of the legal community will gather on Friday, January 18, to discuss ways of expanding access to justice for low-income Americans. The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) is hosting two panel discussions and a presentation in conjunction with its Board of Directors’ quarterly meeting.
The event will begin with opening remarks from Representative William Lacy Clay Jr. (MO-1). Dean Nancy Staudt of the Washington University School of Law and LSC Board Chair John G. Levi will also speak.
The first panel, “Preparing for and Addressing the Aftermath of the 2011 Tornado in Joplin,” will focus on the legal community’s response to the 2011 tornado and lessons learned that can inform disaster preparedness planning. The panelists include Judge Gayle L. Crane, Jasper County Circuit Court, 29th Judicial Circuit; Pamela Roychaudhury, Managing Attorney, Joplin Office, Legal Aid of Western Missouri; and Renee White, Associate Professor, Missouri Southern State University & Former Chair, Joplin Long Term Recovery Committee. LSC Board member Father Pius Pietrzyk will moderate the discussion.
Following that, there will be a presentation on how legal aid and pro bono can support low-income entrepreneurs. The presenters will be Christopher J. Hayes, Vice President and Senior Associate General Counsel, Intellectual Property, Emerson Electric Co., and Tracy James, Managing Attorney, Community Economic Development, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri.
The second panel, “Meeting the Civil Legal Needs of Low-Income Veterans,” will focus on legal aid’s importance to veterans and their families and its role in helping them overcome legal barriers to financial health and personal welfare. The panelists will include Brent Filbert, Veterans Clinic Staff Attorney, University of Missouri School of Law; Susan K. Lutton, Executive Director, Mid-Missouri Legal Services Corporation; and Sarah Schwartz, Attorney & Equal Justice Works Fellow, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri. LSC Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel Ronald S. Flagg will moderate.
Judge Paul C. Wilson, Supreme Court of Missouri, will deliver closing remarks.
The forum will begin at 9:00 a.m. CT at Washington University School of Law, 1 Brookings Drive. Members of the press are invited to attend.
The event will also be livestreamed via Facebook Live. To view it, visit LSC’s Facebook page.