Civil justice advocate Anthony Ray Hinton to speak at first Atticus Finch Society Luncheon honoring new lawyers passing Alabama State Bar
September 19, 2022 – (MONTGOMERY, Ala.) – The Alabama Law Foundation (ALF) invites new lawyers who have passed the state bar exam to attend the first Atticus Finch Society Luncheon on Thursday, October 20, 2022. The luncheon will celebrate their achievements and welcome them to continuing the mission of “lawyers render service.” The focus of the luncheon is access to justice, with honored guest speaker Anthony Ray Hinton, author of The Sun Does Shine, chronicling his decades‐long journey to exoneration and freedom after serving 30 years on death row after being wrongfully convicted.
As the only charitable, tax-exempt organization affiliated with the Alabama State Bar, the Alabama Law Foundation helps the state’s lawyers make a valuable difference in the lives of Alabama’s citizens. The foundation makes annual grants to organizations that provide free legal aid to the poor in civil cases, for projects that improve the administration of justice, and for law-related education.
Alabama lawyers have long admired the character Atticus Finch from Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, as the epitome of the type of professional that lawyers strive to be. The Atticus Finch Society’s initial goal is to build the Alabama Law Foundation’s endowment to provide stable funding for programs providing civil legal aid. The Alabama Law Foundation strives to ensure access to justice for all residents of Alabama, whether they are rich or poor.
“We could not imagine a better way to celebrate the lawyers who have worked and studied so diligently to join the legal profession in Alabama than by sharing the most important responsibility of lawyers – to ensure equal access to justice for everyone under the law,” said Dawn Hathcock, Executive Director of the Alabama Law Foundation.
“It is an honor to welcome Anthony Ray Hinton to tell the story of his extraordinary journey through the legal system and his ongoing efforts to promote social justice for all,” said Matt McDonald, President of the ALF Board of Directors.
Tickets are $50 per person, with limited seating. The event will be open to all new lawyers that pass the Bar Exam and their families, all members of the state’s Volunteer Lawyer Programs, Atticus Finch Society Members, ALF Fellows, the ALF Board of Directors and ASB Board of Bar Commissioners. The luncheon will be held at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Spa at the Convention Center on Oct. 20, 2022, immediately following the bar ceremony hosted by the Alabama State Bar, from approximately noon to 1:30 p.m.
Tickets may be purchased online.