Campaign for Justice is two decades old and is one of the most successful civil legal service fund-raising campaigns in the country. Last year the Campaign raised $235,000 and distributed the money to three legal services providers, Volunteer Legal Services Project, Monroe County Legal Assistance Center and the Legal Aid Society of Rochester.

The Campaign also contributed to the Hanna S. Cohn Equal Justice Fellowship. The architect of the Campaign for Justice was Hanna S. Cohn, the Executive Director of Volunteer Legal Services Project for almost 20 years until her sudden death from cancer. The Fellowship, largely underwritten by Hanna Cohn's family and the Hanna S. Cohn Memorial Fund, has supported the hiring of a public interest attorney to work at Empire Justice Center.

Volunteer Legal Services Project (VLSP) receives a substantial part of the VLSP budget from the Campaign for Justice. VLSP provides the majority of the staff support for the Campaign although it receives significant staff support from the Legal Aid Society and Monroe County Legal Assistance Center. VLSP has over 700 volunteer attorneys on its panel and provided services to approximately 1800 clients last year.

The Campaign for Justice is an extraordinary effort and its success reflects the generosity of Rochester's legal community and the partnership and collaboration of Rochester's civil legal services providers. More than one hundred volunteers will call lawyers and local businesses to raise money for the fund drive each year during the third week of November. For the past three years, the law offices of Ward Norris Heller and Reidy LLP have offered the use of their space again this year. The office is located in the beautifully restored Rochester Button Factory building at 300 State Street, in the heart of the High Falls district.

The Campaign for Justice Co-Chairs and the Campaign Cabinet are prominent local attorneys selected each year by the VLSP Fund Development Committee.

For more information about the Campaign for Justice and how you can be a part of this most exciting event, please call VLSP Executive Director, Sheila A. Gaddis at 585-295-5700.