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July 17, 2024

Legal Services Corporation board chair John Levi to be honored by the ABA

CHICAGO, July 17, 2024 – American Bar Association President Mary Smith will present an ABA Presidential Citation to Legal Services Corporation board chair John Levi at the 2024 ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago.

Levi has been a longtime ally of the ABA and its commitment to equal access to justice as the current and longest-serving board chair of the Legal Services Corporation, which is marking its 50th anniversary this year. He was appointed by President Barack Obama to the 11-member board and confirmed by the Senate and elected by board members as chair in 2010, commencing his service in this role during the administrations of three U.S. presidents.

The citation notes Levi’s “unparalleled dedication to promoting access to justice as chair of the Legal Services Corporation and ensuring legal aid for those unable to afford representation, elevating the noble pursuit of justice for all.”

Under Levi’s leadership, LSC in 2011 created the Pro Bono Task Force to consider how to effectively increase pro bono involvement by all lawyers. In 2013, the Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief bill included $1 million for LSC to serve low-income people in areas significantly affected by the storm. Over the next decade, LSC received increased supplemental funding to support disaster recovery, including COVID-19 funding.

In 2015, LSC established its Leaders Council, consisting of high-profile and influential leaders from various industries, to help raise public awareness of the crisis in legal aid. Also in that year, members of Congress launched the bipartisan Access to Civil Legal Services Caucus to advocate for civil legal aid programs through LSC funding.

Levi has been a staunch and collaborative partner of the ABA in our mutual efforts to promote equal access to justice.

The ABA is the largest voluntary association of lawyers in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law. View our privacy statement online. Follow the latest ABA news at www.americanbar.org/news and on X (formerly Twitter) @ABANews.