SALT LAKE CITY, Utah—“and Justice for all” will kick off its 2019 Campaign for Equal Justice by announcing $400,000 in donations from law firms at their annual kickoff breakfast at the Utah State Bar Law & Justice Center on February 14, 2019 at 8am. Funds raised will provide free legal assistance to low-income individuals throughout Utah.
The “and Justice for all” sustaining law firm campaign is an annual initiative that raises funds for AJFA’s partners—Utah Legal Services, Disability Law Center, and Legal Aid Society of Salt Lake. The fundraising campaign is spearheaded by the “and Justice for all” Leadership Committee—a group of 32 law firms and in-house legal departments led by Daniel Barnett, attorney and partner at Parr Brown Gee & Loveless.
Alan Sullivan of Snell & Wilmer, the founding chairman of the first “and Justice for all” leadership committee, will be the keynote speaker for the 20th anniversary event. This event will celebrate the efforts of Utah’s legal community—law firms, individual attorneys, and other committed partners—to make the legal system accessible to everyone by providing free legal services to families struggling with poverty, discrimination, disability and violence in the home. Through the generosity of these organizations, 28,878 Utahns received services in 2018.
Sullivan, a partner in Snell & Wilmer’s litigation group in Salt Lake City, has been practicing law in Utah for more than 40 years. He represents clients in litigation relating to intellectual property, natural resources development, securities, manufacturing, technology, finance and health care. He also represents lawyers and law firms regarding ethical issues pending before courts and disciplinary boards.
In addition to his work establishing “and Justice for all’s” campaign for ongoing private funding for Utah Legal Service, Legal Aid Society of Salt Lake and the Disability Law Center, he also co-chaired the campaign that resulted in the purchase of the Community Legal Center, a building to house those entities. Sullivan is also a fellow and past state chair of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a past chair of the Utah Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Civil Procedure. He also served eight years on the board of the Rocky Mountain Innocence Center.
“People do not realize that while the right to an attorney is guaranteed in criminal cases, no such right exists in civil cases,” says Kelly Striefel, Interim Executive Director of “and Justice for all.” “For people who are already living in poverty or struggling, one thing going wrong can start a downward spiral that can be difficult to reverse. Legal aid programs make it possible for these people to get the help they need to secure their dignity, protect their assets and stay safe.”
ABOUT “AND JUSTICE FOR ALL”
Founded in 1999, “and Justice for all” is a collaboration between Utah’s three primary providers of civil legal aid in Utah—Utah Legal Services, Disability Law Center and Legal Aid Society of Salt Lake. These three nonprofit providers offer free civil legal representation and programs that help people in Utah receive justice, protect their well-being and overcome poverty. Learn more at www.andjusticeforall.org or by following the organization on www.facebook.com/UtahAJFA.