Bringing justice from the boardroom to our communities
NLADA’s Corporate Advisory Committee (CAC) unites distinguished legal executives and others from a wide variety of industries to help low-income people in need of legal services by strengthening pro bono programs, formulating national strategies in support of funding for legal representation and supporting resource development at NLADA.
The CAC is led by Chair, James L. Chosy, Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel of U.S. Bancorp, the parent company of U.S. Bank and a leading financial services holding company with international operations. He is responsible for all aspects of the company's legal affairs and serves on the Managing Committee, comprised of the senior=most executives within the organization.
Jim is a member of the board of directors of the Guthrie Theater and the Fund for Legal Aid, the board of counselors of Equal Justice Works, the general counsel advisory committee of the Bank Policy Institute, and the corporate advisory panel of the Federal Bar Association's special task force on diversity and inclusion. He also serves on the NLADA board. He is a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and a member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. He has previously served as a member and chair of the board of directors of the Clearing House Association, the University of Minnesota Law School and the Children's Theater Company. His recognitions include the University of Minnesota's Alumni Service Award (2012), the Lead by Example Award from the National Association of Women Lawyers (2019), the In-House Counsel Lifetime Achievement Award from Minnesota Lawyer (2020), the Exemplar Award from NLADA (2021), and the shortlist for outstanding contribution to diversity and inclusion (USA in-house) from Chambers D&I Awards (2021 and 2022).
Highlights
Corporate Advocacy to Congress in Support of Access to Justice: Following the submission of a letter to Congress signed by 41 general counsel from major corporations in support of the EQUAL Defense Act, that legislation was introduced in the House by a bipartisan group of U.S.Representatives, and similar legislation has been introduced in the Senate. To read this letter and others in support of other federal access to justice activity submitted to Congress, such as around appropriations for the Legal Services Corporation, click here.
Corporate America Advances UN Sustainable Development Goal 16: On March 16, NLADA hosted “Gideon@60”, to recognize the 60th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that affirmed the right to counsel in criminal cases. Following an address from U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, the Corporate Advisory Committee was represented in a facilitated conversation about the role of stakeholder partners in advancing access to justice. You can watch the Gideon@60 event again here.
Hear from corporate leaders and members of NLADA’s Corporate Advisory Committee: NLADA has a long history of working with the business community through the CAC and on December 6th, 2022, NLADA held a special Virtual Roundtable meeting to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of NLADA’s Corporate Advisory Committee. Panelists from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Entergy, Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), NLADA Mutual Insurance Co, U.S. Bank and NLADA discussed the role of business in relation to the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goal 16. Please click here to watch the roundtable discussion.
The National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) is the United States’ oldest and largest nonprofit association devoted to excellence in the delivery of legal services to those who cannot afford counsel, whether in criminal or civil matters. For more than a century, NLADA has pioneered access to justice at the national, state, and local levels in multiple ways: helping create many of the first public defense systems in the country; supporting the establishment of the Legal Services Corporation; developing nationally applicable standards for legal representation of low-income clients; and advocating for groundbreaking legislation. NLADA serves as the collective voice for the country’s civil legal aid and public defense providers and offers high-quality advocacy, training, and technical assistance.
NLADA has collaborated with distinguished legal executives and others in the private sector from a wide variety of industries to help low-income people in need of legal services by expanding and strengthening pro bono programs, formulating national strategies in support of funding for legal representation, and supporting resource development for NLADA to lead nationally on these issues. In 1992, under the leadership of Ford Motor Company, those unofficial partnerships were formalized to launch NLADA’s Corporate Advisory Committee (CAC), which exemplifies corporate America’s dedication to the principle of equal justice under the law and advancing federal, state, and local public policy that strengthens legal assistance for low-income people. Through the leadership of its members, the CAC engages the corporate community to expand the availability of quality representation to those who cannot otherwise afford counsel.
How Do We Work?
While the CAC works collaboratively, it does not issue statements or policy positions as a unit. Instead, individual corporate members retain exclusive control over when their names are added to activities or campaigns, such as letters to Congress or other public statements. Before public statements are made, each CAC member will have the opportunity to choose whether to add their company name or not.
Current Members
The current list of members includes: Accenture Federal Services, Amazon, AT&T, Bank of America, Entergy, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Kuehne + Nagel Inc, Merck, NLADA Mutual Insurance Co., RRG, Pfizer, Philip Morris International, Procter & Gamble, Uber, U.S. Bancorp and VISA. For more information, please contact Aileen Moffatt, Vice President, External Relations at [email protected] or 202.452.0620 x223 or click here.
Join the CAC
Joining NLADA as a CAC member provides you with a unique opportunity to strengthen your understanding of the issues and trends facing our nation’s civil legal aid and public defense systems, engage on substantive policy issues that are relevant to your company, and build lasting relationships with equal justice advocates and clients, as well as with your peers in the business community.
For additional information or assistance expediting your new membership or renewal, contact Aileen Moffatt, Vice President External Relations at [email protected] or 202-452-0620 x 223.
NLADA Mutual Insurance Co., RRG
