National ATJ conference planned as virtual event

The 20th annual National ATJ Meeting will take place as a virtual two-day conference on Thursday and Friday, Dec. 2-3.

The National Meeting of State Access to Justice Commission chairs (often referred to as the “ATJ Chairs Meeting”) is hosted by the American Bar Association Resource Center for Access to Justice Initiatives and is convened on an annual basis.

This meeting is the national gathering of leaders of state Access to Justice (ATJ) Commissions and other stakeholders engaged in state-level partnerships to expand access to civil justice.  It delivers programming and provides critical networking opportunities for state supreme court chief and associate justices, judges, bar association and foundation officials, legal aid directors, funder organization officials, law school faculty, and ATJ Commission members and staff.  In recent years, meeting participants have included representation from the highest courts of over 30 states, including many chief justices. Among this year’s speakers are Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Bridget McCormack, ABA President Reginald M. Turner Jr. of Clark Hill in Detroit, and Michigan Legal Help Director Angela Tripp.

Topics to be covered at the virtual conference include:

• New or emerging issues in substantive law related to access to justice
• Legal aid delivery
• Resource development (both for legal aid generally and for commissions specifically)
• Statewide coordination/collaboration with civil justice system stakeholders
• Strategic planning for commissions
• Technology initiatives
• Pro bono
• Unbundled/limited scope representation
• Self-represented litigants
• Messaging and communications on access to justice;
• Language justice
• Race equity/cultural humility
• Justice for all
• Civil right to counsel
• Loan repayment assistance
• Rural access to justice
• Intersection of civil/criminal law issues

Registration closes on December 1. For pricing and to register for the virtual conference, visit www.americanbar.org and click on “events.”