During the opening plenary at the 2015 Annual Conference, two leaders were honored for their continuing and deep commitment to advancing justice. Below are short profiles; find out more about their remarkable contributions on page 16 of the conference program book. 

Five others were recognized at the Annual Conference Awards Luncheon; learn about their accomplishments here.

The Award for Justice through Philanthropy 

Recognizes that achieving justice is not the responsibility of the legal profession alone and honors the contributions of a member of the philanthropic community to this cause.

2015 Recipient: Dr. Gail Christopher, Vice President for Policy and Senior Advisor, W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Dr. Gail C. Christopher serves on the president’s cabinet that provides overall direction and leadership for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Since joining the foundation in 2007, she has served as vice president for program strategy with responsibility for multiple areas of programming, including Racial Equity; Food, Health & Well-Being; Community Engagement and Leadership; as well as place-based programming in New Orleans and New Mexico. Dr. Christopher is a nationally recognized leader in health policy, with particular expertise and experience in the issues related to social determinants of health, health inequities, and public policy issues of concern to our nation’s future. She is president of the board of the Trust for America’s Health.

The Champion of Justice Award

Honors a member of the equal justice community whose career has brought about significant expansion of access to justice.

2015 Recipient: Esther F. Lardent, President & CEO, Pro Bono Institute

Esther F. Lardent leads the Pro Bono Institute, a global public interest organization that offers research, analysis, consultative services, publications, and training on innovative approaches to enhance access to justice for low-income people. Ms. Lardent has served in the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates, as a member of the ABA Board of Governors, and on numerous ABA committees. She is co-chair of DLA Piper LLP’s innovative global pro bono project and a member of the Global Advisory Committee for Ashoka’s ASE program. She also serves on the Legal Services Corporation Pro Bono Task Force. Before joining the Pro Bono Institute, Ms. Lardent was a consultant for the Ford Foundation, the ABA, state and local bar associations, public interest and legal services programs, and others. She was the founder and first director of the Volunteer Lawyers Project of the Boston Bar Association, one of the nation’s first organized pro bono programs, and administered a nationwide pro bono technical assistance effort. Ms. Lardent received her undergraduate degree from Brown University and her J.D. from the University of Chicago.