A group of panelists, including the chief judge of the Central
District of California, will speak this afternoon at the UCLA
School of Law on the issue of achieving equal access to justice for
all citizens.
Terry Hatter, Jr., chief judge of the Central District of
California since 1998, who will participate in the panel, served as
a U.S. district judge from 1979 until his appointment as chief
judge.
He also served as executive director of the Western Center on
Law and Poverty, as well as holding other legal posts before
entering the federal arena.
The event, organized by the Office of Public Interest Programs
and the student groups the La Raza Law School Association, the
Asian-Pacific Islander LSA and the Black LSA, will focus on the
roles and responsibilities of private law firms, government and
nonprofit legal sectors in ensuring equal access to justice.
Catherine Mayorkas, director of public interest programs and
organizer of the event, said the purpose of the talk is to
introduce students to the larger issue of achieving equal access to
justice, including the challenges that will have to be met along
the way.
Mayorkas added that, while the event is aimed at law students,
other students are encouraged to come and benefit from the
discussion as well.
The discussion will be moderated by law school professor Scott
Cummings.
Other panelists include Mark Haddad, partner at a Los Angeles
law firm and an alumnus of Yale Law School. Haddad has had a number
of legal cases brought to the Supreme Court involving equal
protection and first amendment law.
Also speaking at the event is Stewart Kwoh, president and
executive director of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center of
Southern California. Kwoh devotes his efforts to providing legal
assistance and civil rights advocacy to Pacific Americans in the
United States.
David Lash and Yolanda Vera, the two remaining panelists, will
draw from their respective skills in managing nonprofit legal
services and health and welfare policies to contribute additional
insights to the discussion.
The panel will be held today at the law school, Room 1430,
from 4:30-5:30 p.m.