Coming Together in Celebration
By Meredith S. Auten, President of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation.
The Philadelphia Bar Foundation’s annual Access to Justice event celebrates Philadelphia’s public interest community, civil legal aid organizations, and the law firms and businesses that partner with the Bar Foundation to support the vibrant and essential civil legal aid system in our community. This year’s celebration is especially exciting because we are gathering in-person for the first time since 2019. The 2022 Access to Justice Awards Benefit will be held on October 18, 2022 at 6:00 PM at the Fitler Club in Center City and we hope you will join us.
We are thrilled to honor this year’s outstanding award recipients. Su Ming Yeh, Executive Director of our nonprofit partner the Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project, will be receiving the 2022 Philadelphia Bar Foundation Award for dedicating her career to the fight for equal and equitable access to justice. Ballard Spahr LLP and Duane Morris LLP will each be receiving our 2022 Pro Bono Award. Ballard Spahr is being recognized for its extraordinary Racial Justice and Equality Initiative - launched in the summer of 2020 - which showcases the firm’s institutional commitment to pro bono work. Duane Morris is being recognized for the superlative pro bono work it has been contributing for so many years, partnering with numerous civil legal aid organizations in Philadelphia to provide volunteer legal support.
Corporate sponsorship opportunities are available for the Access to Justice Benefit, and we invite regional corporations and businesses that work with the legal industry to join us. Proceeds from the benefit support the critical role that our legal aid partners play in improving the quality of life for individuals and families across Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. Please join us in recognizing that funding the work of these organizations is a critical investment in our communities.
Throughout the year, law firms are invited to support the Foundation’s work by becoming 2022 Unified Giving Partners. Along with the generosity of our corporate and business sponsors and individual donors, our Unified Giving partners make everything that we do at the Bar Foundation possible; providing general operating support to our nearly 40 nonprofit partners, and building system-wide capacity via innovative programs, fellowships, and much more. We look forward to celebrating all of our supporters’ commitment to the fight for equity and equal access to justice on October 18th. There is still time to become a Unified Giving partner and event sponsor – please visit our website at www.philabarfoundation.org to learn more.
Civil legal aid organizations and the public interest community are integral to the fight for a more just and equitable society. Please join us in celebrating and supporting their dedication and commitment to our great city!