Wiley Hosts 100th Anniversary Event for Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants

Washington, DC – Wiley is hosting the first event in a “Centennial Speaker Series” honoring the 100th anniversary of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants (SCLAID). Today’s event at the firm’s office, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., will feature a panel discussion on “Civil Legal Aid in America – Where We Are and Where We Are Going.” A reception will follow.

The Honorable Vanessa Ruiz, Senior Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and a former member of the Committee, will moderate the discussion. She will be joined on the panel by Jim Sandman, President of Legal Services Corporation (LSC), and Don Saunders, Senior Vice President for Policy at the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA). Both LSC and NLADA are among organizations that collaborate closely with SCLAID, the ABA’s first and oldest standing committee.

Theodore A. Howard, Wiley’s Pro Bono Partner, serves as chair of SCLAID, which works on matters relating to civil legal aid and public defender services. Since its founding in 1920, the 11-member committee has been a national leader in the movement to expand access to justice and provide legal services to low-income populations.

In celebration of its centennial anniversary, SCLAID will sponsor and present several additional events in various major U.S. cities throughout the year. The speaker series will highlight civil legal aid and public defense issues and concerns that serve as the principal focus of the committee’s mission – and its fundamental priority to promote the availability of legal services for, and quality representation of, the poor in our nation’s civil and criminal justice systems.

Wiley prides itself on a strong and rich tradition of service to the local and global community, and encourages its attorneys and legal assistants to participate in pro bono activities.