This session will be an interactive “art of the ask” training for fundraisers and executive directors, outlining the steps and materials needed to prepare for a successful fundraising solicitation. We will provide the tools for legal aid fundraising and executive staff to make face to face solicitations and also support board members in becoming successful ambassadors and solicitors for their legal aid organizations. We will also facilitate an interactive solicitation practice with a “mock donor” so attendees can practice the skills they are learning in real time.

Hear about current trends in debt collection lawsuit filings and discuss reforms that empower self-represented litigants to navigate their cases and assert their rights. In interactive groups, participants will apply new resources to analyze policies in their states and identify areas ripe for reform.

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) decisions striking down race-based affirmative action in higher education, a tidal wave of attacks on racial equity programs has emerged. Panelists will share strategies for mobilizing pro bono attorneys to defend and advance DEI and racial equity initiatives.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives that began during the racial reckoning of 2020, when the murder of George Floyd renewed demands for social justice, are being pulled apart by political and cultural shifts. In Utah, such legislation gutted DEI offices in a myriad of institutions and forced advocates to reframe. Hear how the Utah State Courts and the Access to Justice Commission are working to ensure that all Utahns have access to the promises and protections of our legal systems—that justice does not depend on your income, zip code, age, gender, status, identity, ability or the language you speak.