Lawyers Face Off on Opposing Sides of the (Pool) Table & Raise Funds for "and Justice for all"
The Utah State Bar's Young Lawyers Division with "and Justice for all" held their third annual Bar Sharks for Justice Pool Tournament - an event to raise operating funds for "and Justice for all." The event was a great success, raising $2,764.
The tournament began Thursday, October 21 at Shaggy's Livin' Room, and the final round of play was held on October 28. All members of the legal community were invited to participate - from law firm partners to associates, legal assistants, and law students. Ryan Carter and David Bernstein from Kipp & Christian captured first place and the coveted shark trophy. Second place went to Carla Moquin and Karthik Nadesan from Snell & Wilmer. Third place went to Scott DuBois and Mike Horner, also from Snell & Wilmer.
"and Justice for all" was formed following a 1996 Utah State Bar task force created at the request of the Utah State Supreme Court. The Access to Justice Task Force was asked to find an answer to the question, "Can the poor and the disabled find justice in the Courts?" The Access to Justice Task Force found that the poor and the disabled in Utah have more than 75,000 new legal needs annually. While the needs are staggering and continue to grow, funding to support local legal service is diminishing and falls far behind the need. The central recommendation of the task force was to seek new sources of funding for legal services.
In response, Utah Legal Services, Disability Law Center and The Legal Aid Society unified in a fundraising campaign called "and Justice for all." The intent of the campaign is to secure private support from the legal community to preserve and expand access to civil legal services for the poor and people with disabilities in Utah. For more information on "and Justice for all" please contact Staci Duke, "and Justice for all" Development Coordinator at (801) 924-3182 or visit www.andjusticeforall.org.