Annual Legal Aid Bureau Avery Award Luncheon
This year’s awards ceremony will honor Andrea Zopp, Esq., with the with the William H. Avery Award for Equal Access to Justice. The luncheon will be held on Friday, October 29, 2010 at 12:00 P.M. at the Palmer House Hilton, Empire Room, 17 East Monroe Street, Chicago, IL 60603.
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Why Give to the Legal Aid Bureau?
For 125 years, the Legal Aid Bureau has provided critical legal services to low-income families in the Chicago area, protecting them in cases of domestic violence, elder abuse, and housing and consumer issues. Today, the Legal Aid Bureau serves more than 7,500 families and individuals each year.
As families face tough times, the need for services provided by the Legal Aid Bureau continues to grow. In a 2005 study, the Legal Aid Safety Net: A Report on the Legal Needs of Low-Income Illinoisans found that:
§ Low-income citizens are only able to get help with 1 out of 6 legal problems
§ Only 31% of low-income victims of domestic violence received legal assistance
§ There are only 280 full-time legal aid lawyers in the entire state
§ Illinois ranks last in the ten most populous states for government spending on legal aid ($472,000 vs. $6.8 million average)
Your support of the Legal Aid Bureau is a critical investment in providing Chicago area families with the legal services they desperately need.
About Andrea Zopp, Esq.
Andrea Zopp, Esq., will be honored with the William H. Avery Award to recognize her steadfast commitment to public service. Ms. Zopp has served as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, First Assistant State’s Attorney with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, and currently serves on numerous boards with organizations advocating for those in need. Among her many professional experiences, her background includes her role as General Counsel at Exelon Corporation and Sears Holding Corporation as well as partner at both McDermott Will & Emery LLP and Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP. Ms. Zopp earned both her bachelor’s and law degree from Harvard University.
About the William H. Avery Award for Equal Access to Justice
This award is presented in honor of the late William H. Avery, a partner at Sidley Austin LLP dedicated to ensuring equal access to justice. He illustrated his commitment by serving as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Metropolitan Family Services, the Legal Aid Society and the Legal Services Committee of the Chicago Bar Association.
Metropolitan’s Legal Aid Bureau honors his dedication by presenting the William H. Avery Award each year to a member or organization in the legal profession who has shown similar outstanding commitment.
Former William H. Avery Award recipients include:
DePaul University College of Law
The Honorable Anne M. Burke
U.S. Deputy Attorney General Mark Filip
Illinois Governor James R. Thompson
Scott F. Turow
Anton Valukas
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