Georgia Online Justice Community

Keynote Speakers Include Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and

U.S. Congressman John Lewis

CHICAGO, March 11, 2004 - The American Bar Association Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service and the National Legal Aid and Defender Association will sponsor the 2004 Equal Justice Conference, "Renewing Our Commitment to Justice," April 15-17 in Atlanta. The conference will be held at the Hilton Atlanta Hotel.

Keynote speakers at this year's conference are ABA President Dennis W. Archer, who will give remarks at the closing plenary session on Saturday, April 17; former Georgia Governor Roy E. Barnes and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, who will give remarks at the opening plenary session on Thursday, April 15; and U.S. Congressman John Lewis, who is the featured speaker at the Friday, April 15 luncheon.

Barnes, a long-time advocate of pro bono legal services, went from the governor's office to a six-month tenure as a full-time volunteer lawyer for the Atlanta Legal Aid Society.

Lewis, who has served in Congress since 1986, has been a leading civil rights advocate since the early 1960s. He was a Freedom Rider, a keynote speaker at the 1963 March on Washington and chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

Programs at this year's conference will include more than 75 workshops and seminars on topics covering pro bono, resource development, innovations in the delivery of legal services, management and diversity, prospective partners, and technology, all focusing on partnering to make a difference to clients and communities. Sessions are designed for pro bono lawyers and coordinators, legal aid lawyers, bar leaders, policy-makers, judges, court administrators and academics.

Registration for the conference on or before March 19 is $450 for general attendees, $385 for ABA or NLDA members and $100 for students. Registration after March 19 or on-site is $475 for general attendees, ABA or NLDA members and $100 for students.

For more information and to register, visit www.equaljusticeconference.org or call Tamaara Mason at 312/988-5756.

The American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership association in the world. With more than 400,000 members, the ABA provides law school accreditation, continuing legal education, information about the law, programs to assist lawyers and judges in their work, and initiatives to improve the legal system for the public.