Legal Aid to host 117th Annual Meeting featuring keynote remarks by Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland’s 117^th Annual Meeting will be an afternoon program and reception on Friday, December 2, 2022 at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Cleveland. Legal Aid’s annual event will highlight hope, extend gratitude, and provide updates on high-impact community partnerships and initiatives. Additionally, Legal Aid leaders will unveil the organization’s new strategic plan.

The December 2 event will begin promptly with a 2:00 p.m. program (doors open at 1:30 p.m.; for attorneys 1.0 hour CLE credit pending). The program is followed by a 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. reception including dinner foods and drinks.

The program will feature keynote remarks by Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. He will share reflections on Legal Aid’s work to promote fairness, racial equity and social justice.

Dr. Gates is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard University. Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker, literary scholar, journalist, cultural critic, and institution builder, Professor Gates’s most recent books are Stony the Road: Reconstruction, White Supremacy, and the Rise of Jim Crow, and The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song.

Dr. Gates will join a list of distinguished past Legal Aid keynote speakers, including U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, U.S. Senators Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown, and most recently, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, who have highlighted the importance of civil legal aid at past events.

Legal Aid’s Annual Meeting is a chance for philanthropists, community members, nonprofit organizations, and business leaders to gather and reflect on Legal Aid’s accomplishments over the past year, as well as learn about bold new initiatives and plans for the year ahead.

Legal Aid’s dedicated staff, volunteers, and strong regional partnerships are important drivers of impact. Awards will be presented to outstanding employees, volunteers, and community organizations who demonstrate profound support for Legal Aid’s mission.

Sponsorships for Legal Aid’s 117^th Annual Meeting are still available, and individual $150 tickets are on sale now.  All proceeds from ticket sales will support Legal Aid’s work to extend justice across Northeast Ohio. Learn more at lasclev.org/2022Event.

Founded in 1905, The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland is the fifth oldest legal aid organization in the United States. Serving residents of Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, and Lorain counties, Legal Aid staff and volunteers secure justice and resolve fundamental problems for those who have low incomes and are vulnerable by providing high-quality legal services and working for systemic solutions. In 2021, The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland handled more than 6,600 cases, helping more than 17,300 people.

Visit lasclev.org/2022Event for more event details and to purchase Annual Meeting tickets.