Muskie Fund Creates Access To Justice And Honors Dr. Robert McAfee
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The Muskie Fund for Legal Services held their 15th annual Access to Justice Award Dinner on June 2nd. This year’s dinner honored Dr. Robert McAfee for his leadership in mobilizing healthcare providers to address the problem of family violence in our community.
Founded in 1995, the Muskie Fund for Legal Services celebrates the commitment of those who work for an access to justice on behalf of Mainers. Named after Maine Senator Edmund S. Muskie, the nonprofit organization supports legal services throughout the state while carrying out the legacy of the late senator who worked on behalf of poor, elderly, and disadvantaged Maine residents.
During his service as Chair of the Maine Commission on Legal Needs, Senator Muskie presided over public hearings designed to give poor Mainers a chance to voice their legal problems. Many were found to be frustrated by the lack of access to representation due to financial problems, and in 1990, Senator Muskie reported his findings alongside Governor John McKernan and Chief Justice Vincent McKusick. For the remainder of his life he worked to improve the situation.
Today, the dinner in Senator Muskie’s name attracts between 300 - 400 guests from Maine's business, legal and civil sectors. The Hon. Edmund S. Muskie Access to Justice Award honors “commitment to the public good, advanced through hard thinking, deep feeling, a voice of eloquent civility and a passion for justice.”
Money raised by the Muskie Fund supports six non-profit legal services providers which assist Maine's low-income and elderly residents:
- Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic
- Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project
- Legal Services for the Elderly
- Maine Equal Justice Partners
- Pine Tree Legal Assistance
- Volunteer Lawyers Project
The Law Offices of Joe Bornstein would like to extend a warm and heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Robert McAfee. His commitment to helping those in need makes him a worthy recipient and an inspiration to us all. May his hard work and dedication to the problem of family violence throughout Maine continue, and may the access to justice the Muskie Fund for Legal Services helps create give all Mainers equal rights.
For more information on the Muskie Fund for Legal Services and their annual Access to Justice Award Dinner, please visit: www.muskiefund.org.
