Northeast Ohio attorneys and judge presenting at national Equal Justice Conference

Judge Colleen Falkowski and attorneys Ann Bergen (Law Office of Ann S. Bergen, Esq.), Anna Parise (Dworken & Bernstein), Darya Klammer (Klammer Law Office), Kari White (Legal Aid) and Ann Porath (Legal Aid) are representing Cleveland next week at the national Equal Justice Conference hosted by the American Bar Association and the National Legal Aid and Defender Association.  The conference will be held in Austin, Texas.

The team is presenting on “Engaging Solo Practitioners & Small Firms in Pro Bono Work” on May 7 - the first day of the conference.

Northeast Ohio is known nationally for its strong legal community.  The private bar, in collaboration with The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland's Volunteer Lawyers Program, has done much to engage a variety of attorneys in pro bono work.

This panel, in particular, highlights the special role smaller firms and individual attorneys have when engaging with a local legal aid program in pro bono work.  The Cleveland panel hopes to share its best practices with a national audience, in hopes that some models of practice can be replicated nationwide.

Attorney Ann Bergen previously presented on a similar topic at the Legal Services Corporation's 40th Anniversary Conference.  Click here for coverage of that event.

Judge Colleen Falkowski, the leader of the Cleveland panel, was recently recognized by the Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation with its President's Award.  The Award honored Judge Falkowski for her leadership in encouraging pro bono service among the private bar.

Attorneys Anna Parise and Darya Klammer were previously honored by The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland for their leadership role recruiting solo and small firm attorneys.  Both women are leaders in the Lake County Bar Association.

The Equal Justice Conference brings together all components of the legal community to discuss equal justice issues as they relate to the delivery of legal services to the poor and low-income individuals in need of legal assistance.  The emphasis of this Conference is on strengthening partnerships among the key players in the civil justice system. Through plenary sessions, workshops, networking opportunities and special programming, the Conference provides a wide range of learning and sharing experiences for all attendees.  For more information, click here.