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UGA law school to host public interest law conference

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Friday, February 10, 2017

UGA law school to host public interest law conference

Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia School of Law will host the 12th Annual Working in the Public Interest Law Conference February 25 in the Larry Walker Room of Dean Rusk Hall starting at 9:30 a.m.

This year’s conference will explore issues surrounding vulnerable persons in custody, expanding access to justice through community lawyering, and healthcare access and disability rights.

Francys Johnson, who currently serves as the president of the Georgia chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, will deliver the keynote address. Johnson is a 2004 graduate of Georgia Law who frequently lectures and writes on the concept of race, measuring equity and understanding of the power in public policy. He has served on the political science and criminal justice faculties at Georgia Southern and Savannah State universities.

Conference panelists include representatives from groups such as the Southern Poverty Law Center, Atlanta Legal Aid, the Georgia Advocacy Office and the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund.

“I am really pleased with the diversity of panelists and viewpoints that will be represented at this year’s event,” second-year law student and conference planner Harris R. Mason said. “The dialog will focus on some truly important social justice issues. I hope that everyone will leave empowered to help improve the lives of others as well as to advocate for changes in the law that will ensure everyone is treated with dignity and respect,” he said.

The conference is free for members of the UGA community. For attorneys, three continuing legal education credits are available at a cost of $75. The fee for all other entrants is $10. Registration is strongly encouraged, and breakfast and lunch will be provided.

For more information and to register, please visit http://law.uga.edu/working-public-interest .

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Writer: Heidi M. Murphy, 706-583-5487, hmurphy@uga.edu Contact: Larkin Taylor-Parker, 706-542-5167, larkin.taylorparker@uga.edu

UGA School of Law Consistently regarded as one of the nation’s top public law schools, Georgia Law was established in 1859. Its accomplished faculty includes authors of some of the country’s leading legal scholarship. The school offers three degrees – the Juris Doctor, the Master of Laws and the Master in the Study of Law – and is home to the Dean Rusk International Law Center. Georgia Law is proud of its long-standing commitment to providing first-rate legal training for future leaders who will serve state and nation in both the public and private sectors. For more information, see www.law.uga.edu.

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