PILA Bulletin: 13 November 2014
Venue: The Pillar Room, Rotunda Hospital, Parnell Square, Dublin 1
Date: Monday, 1 December 2014
Time: 6pm. Registration from 5.30pm, with tea & coffee on arrival
The Council and Staff of FLAC (Free Legal Advice Centres) wish to invite you to the Eighth Annual Dave Ellis Memorial Lecture which will be delivered by Brian Stevenson, Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative. The lecture will focus on ‘Access to Justice’ and will be followed by a drinks reception.
Described by Archbishop Desmond Tutu as ‘America’s young Nelson Mandela’, public interest lawyer Bryan Stevenson is the Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative, which he founded to provide legal representation to people traditionally excluded from the justice system. Stevenson has garnered international acclaim for his role in challenging bias against poor people and people of colour in the US justice system, using the courts as a way to protect their rights where decision-makers are unwilling or unable to do so. He is outspoken on how poverty affects how people are treated within the judicial system, excluding them from equal access to justice, famously stating that “the opposite of poverty is justice”. Stevenson’s work has won him numerous awards on national and international levels. He is currently Professor of Law at New York University and his new book, ‘Just Mercy’, was released on 21 October 2014.
For a preview of the lecture, you can watch Bryan in his TED talk, ‘We need to talk about an injustice’.
The late Dave Ellis was a community activist who dedicated his career to working with community groups on issues including welfare rights, legal aid, legal education and legal entitlements generally. He was Community Law Officer at Coolock Community Law Centre (now CLM Northside) for more than 20 years. Dave subsequently established Community Legal Resource to provide information, training and support for the non-profit and community sector. He died in 2007.
The Pillar Room is in the grounds of the Rotunda Hospital on Parnell Square. Direct access is via the blue gates beside the Gate Theatre which will be open for the duration of the event. There is limited on-street parking in the area, and the Rotunda Hospital car park will be open from 5.30pm at a cost of €6.
Attendance is free but as space is limited pre-registration is essential. Please RSVP by e-mail to events@flac.ie or by phone to (01) 887 3600 and ask for Emma on or before Friday 28 November.