Microsoft official to speak at fundraising legal event

Published 4:10 pm Friday, April 29, 2011

Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith will deliver the keynote address at the Eastside Legal Assistance Program’s first ELAP Breakfast for Justice on Thursday at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue.

The event will provide crucial funding for ELAP so the organization can continue its 21-year tradition of providing legal aid to low-income residents of East and Northeast King County, and to survivors of domestic violence throughout King County.

Registration begins at 7 a.m., and the program will run from 7:30-8:30 a.m.

“The tough economic climate has made community support for ELAP absolutely crucial,” said Stan Kehl, Executive Director of ELAP. “Demand for our services has never been greater, but local and county governments’ budgets are lean, and we need to find new sources of funding in order to continue providing legal assistance to our less fortunate neighbors.”

Smith has helped advance several significant diversity and pro bono initiatives, both within Microsoft and in the broader legal profession.

“It’s more important than ever to ensure that the legal system is open to everyone in our community, including those who are most vulnerable,” Smith said. “Organizations like ELAP face increased demands for their services at the same time many budgets are being reduced.”

Smith has served as chair of the Washington Roundtable, a leading Washington state-based business organization. He chairs the Advocacy Committee of the Association of Corporate Counsel, co-chairs the Board of Directors of Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), and serves on the board executive committees of the Business Software Alliance, the Seattle Foundation and the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity.

King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg, who is chairman of the event’s host committee, will also be present to support ELAP and will introduce Smith.

“The need for civil legal aid to low income people — and particularly to domestic violence survivors — has never been greater in our community,” said Satterberg. “ELAP provides critical help to people facing daunting legal complications involved in escaping the threat of domestic violence.”