Access to Justice Commission to meet on Sept. 1 in Jackson
August 31, 2015
The Access to Justice Commission will meet at noon Sept. 1 at the Mississippi Bar Center at 643 North State Street in Jackson. AJC members will gather for lunch at 11:30 a.m.
Members of the media are welcome to attend.
Access to Justice Commission Director Tiffany Graves will present a report about Commission activities.
Other presentations are expected to include:
• at 12:15 p.m., a discussion of the Mississippi Bar Appellate Law Section’s pro bono appeals program. Jackson attorneys Margaret Cupples and David McCarty, the current and former chairs of the Bar’s Appellate Law Section, are expected to speak.
• at 12:30 p.m., attorney Nick Giallourakis of Madison, senior vice-president of The Arc of Mississippi, will talk about the work of his organization. The Arc promotes and protects human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively supports their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes.
• at 12:45 p.m., Lane Beasley of Do Good Mississippi will speak. The organization recently produced a podcast about the Access to Justice Commission. Do Good Mississippi spotlights stories that reflect its name and creates partnerships with agencies, ministries, non-profits and other entities that are working for positive change.
• at 1 p.m., reports will be presented by Access to Justice committees. Attorneys Beau Cole and Beth Orlansky will talk about delivery of legal services for the poor. Michael Jones, chief community health officer for the University of Mississippi Medical Center, will talk about medical-legal partnerships. Rev. Hosea Hines, pastor of Christ Tabernacle Church in Jackson, will talk about faith-based initiatives. Chancery Judge Jacqueline Mask of Tupelo and Jamie Bardwell, deputy director of the Women's Foundation of Mississippi, will talk about improving public awareness. Supreme Court Presiding Justice Jess Dickinson and Dean Wendy Scott of the Mississippi College School of Law are expected to discuss resource development for access to justice initiatives.
• at 2 p.m., legal service providers will talk about their work.
The Access to Justice Commission was created by the Mississippi Supreme Court in June 2006 to develop a unified strategy to improve poor people’s access to the civil courts. The Commission is tasked to investigate the need for civil legal services to the poor in Mississippi, and to evaluate, develop and recommend policies, programs and initiatives which will assist the judiciary in meeting the civil legal services needs of the poor. The Access to Justice Commission works to address civil legal representation of the poor. It does not deal with indigent criminal defense issues.
A Speakers Bureau of the Access to Justice Commission is available to talk to civic and community groups. To request a speaker, e-mail Tiffany Graves or call 601-960-9581.
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