LSC to Host Kansas City Access to Justice Forum and Present Awards to Kansas Attorneys for Pro Bono Service
Contact
Carl Rauscher
Director of Communications and Media Relations
rauscherc@lsc.gov
202-295-1615
WASHINGTON—Legal Services Corporation (LSC) will host an Access to Justice Forum on closing the justice gap on Thursday, October 20 from 12:00 to 2:30 p.m. CDT at The Fontaine Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri.
Distinguished local and national leaders share remarks, including Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Marla J. Luckert; Chairman of LSC’s Board of Directors and Sidley Austin LLP Partner, John G. Levi; and LSC Board Member and Partner at the Kansas City firm of Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP, Matthew D. Keenan.
A panel discussion on creating opportunity through record sealing will follow, hosted by LSC President Ronald S. Flagg. Studies show that record sealing can significantly reduce recidivism rates and better enable those who are impacted by these records to achieve success and stability. The panel features:
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Renee L. Danser, Associate Director of Research & Strategic Partnerships, Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School
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Marilyn Harp, Executive Director, Kansas Legal Services
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Nick Larkin, Staff Attorney, Kansas Legal Services
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Morgan Lawrence, Staff Attorney, Kansas Legal Services
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Joy A. Springfield, Director of Pro Bono Services, Kansas Legal Services
Following the panel, LSC will present Pro Bono Service Awards to three attorneys and the Chief Justice for their significant contributions to promoting access to justice through pro bono services. The recipients were nominated by local LSC grantee organization, Kansas Legal Services (KLS). The recipients are:
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Martha J. Coffman, chair of the Kansas Bar Association’s Access to Justice Committee and retired general counsel for the Kansas Office of Judicial Administration. She spearheaded a change to Kansas Rule of Professional Conduct 6.5 that has enabled increased pro bono opportunities and is working to establish a self-help center in the Douglas County courthouse.
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Matthew S. Ellis, chief counsel of Koch Companies Public Sector, LLC. He co-chairs the company’s Pro Bono Initiative and has increased participation, leading the group to acquire 66 expungements for clients in Wichita in the past year.
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Jeffrey A. Jordan, partner at Foulston Siefkin LLP. He chairs the firm’s ethics committee, and quickly mobilized several of their associates to participate in a KLS clinic for driver’s license restoration, where nearly a hundred people received legal assistance.
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Hon. Marla J. Luckert, Chief Justice of the Kansas Supreme Court. She has played a vital role in eliminating barriers to justice, including by supporting the change to Rule 6.5 that expanded pro bono opportunities for lawyers, and by creating a court-funded web portal that allows people experiencing domestic violence to file a petition for protection online.
Tune in to watch the event livestream on LSC’s Facebook page.
LSC’s quarterly Board Meeting will continue that evening, featuring a panel on legal aid’s response to natural disasters with Leslie Powell-Boudreaux, Executive Director, Legal Services of North Florida; Maria Thomas-Jones, Executive Director, Legal Aid of Northwest Texas; and Laura Tuggle, Executive Director, Southeast Louisiana Legal Services at 4:00 p.m. CDT. View the agenda for more details.