Rural Justice and Poverty Summit Raises Awareness of Issues Facing Georgia Communities
| Jurisdiction | Georgia,United States |
| Citation | Vol. 27 No. 3 Pg. 0056 |
| Pages | 0056 |
| Publication year | 2021 |
Rural Justice and Poverty Summit Raises Awareness of Issues Facing Georgia Communities
The summit addressed legal topics handled by Georgia Legal Services Program, including education, domestic violence, health, housing, pro bono law and public benefits.
BY MIKE MONAHAN
There is pro bono but then there is an institution behind that pro bono. Public service work for lawyers is developed and nurtured by structured programs with deep roots in communities starved for attention and for the legal help only lawyers can provide. One such program is Georgia Legal Services, which provides pro bono services throughout most of Georgia and is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year.
Georgia Legal Services Program (GLSP) held its virtual Rural Georgia Justice and Poverty Summit in September as part of its 50th Anniversary celebration. The summit highlighted the many legal and social issues facing communities across the state of Georgia from housing to education to public health. The summit was conducted with support from Georgia State University School of Law.
"The summit was an incredible day of information and stories about how access to justice through organizations like GLSP can truly change lives," said Rick Rufolo, GLSP executive director. "Since our early beginnings in 1968, when a group of young lawyers began working together on our vision, providing pro bono services has been an integral part of who we are as lawyers."
More than 250 people participated in the summit, including researchers, state agencies, the philanthropic community, policy makers and legal advocates who gained insight in complex problems facing low-income rural communities and marginalized populations as related to GLSP's mission to provide access to justice and opportunities out of poverty.
"It was an honor to join Georgia Legal Services Program for their Rural Georgia Justice and Poverty Summit," said keynote speaker Stacey Abrams. "I thank the GLSP for the opportunity to speak to summit attendees about the sorely needed solutions that, by working together, we can deliver to people across all corners of Georgia—and particularly to our rural communities."
The summit addressed legal topics handled by Georgia Legal Services Program, including education, domestic violence, health, housing, pro bono law and public benefits. More than 250 people participated in the summit...
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