"If we do not maintain justice, justice will not maintain us..."

Francis Bacon

Today, you are invited to make a high-impact investment in maintaining the cornerstone of civilized society.

You're invited to support justice.

Through your gift to the San Diego County Bar Foundation, you will achieve truly significant results. Helping to deliver legal services and improving the administration of justice, you will assure access to the legal system for those who are most vulnerable. You will encourage meaningful collaboration on solutions addressing county-wide concerns. And you will be educating residents of San Diego about the enduring value of the law and the dedication of those who adopt the legal profession as a lifetime calling.

In other words, you will be maintaining justice.

So that justice will maintain everyone.

Justice is synonymous with civilized society.

And now, you have the opportunity to join your colleagues throughout the legal profession whose generosity transforms the ideal of justice for all into action-oriented initiatives.

When you think about it, no other philanthropic investment matters more.

After all, doesn't the quality of life depend on the quality of justice?

The San Diego County Bar Foundation is unique, the only organization of its kind in the region. For more than 20 years now, the San Diego County Bar Foundation has been working hard to help the justice system work well. Charitable arm of the San Diego legal community, its mission is to partner with the San Diego County Bar Association to provide "access to justice by investing in sustainable results and advocacy for people and communities in our region impacted by poverty, abuse, and discrimination."

Committed to an entrepreneurial approach, the San Diego County Bar Foundation is often the first investor in many of the forefront programs it funds. More active partner than passive patron, SDCBF nurtures success and continually evaluates results. The San Diego County Bar Foundation currently funds more than 30 organizations as well as a selection of initiatives. Grant making has increased by more than 300% over the past 3 years.

SDCBF maximizes its effectiveness by tackling critical challenges essential to maintaining justice, specifically:

• Delivery of legal services
• Improving the administration of justice
• Promoting public appreciation of the justice system
• Strategic alliances addressing county-wide concerns
• Strengthening the profession
• Ensuring permanence

Delivering civil legal services to vulnerable men, women and children is a pressing priority for SDCBF, and everyone who lives in San Diego County. Here's why:

While legal representation is provided for defendants in criminal cases, there is no open door to counsel for those who find themselves enmeshed in the intricacies of the civil justice system. People who cannot afford legal representation are denied justice.

Civil cases involve issues fundamental to being fully human. As the American Bar Association has declared, "basic human needs are at stake, such as shelter, sustenance, safety, health and child custody."

The situation is serious; reliable estimates put the number of Californians who do not receive civil legal services they need at 75% - three out of four.

And when people who are already marginalized are also excluded from receiving a fair hearing in court, San Diego bears the burden of expanded public services, increased crime, and diminished quality of life.

Besides, justice for some isn't really justice for anyone.

San Diego County Bar Foundation funding eliminates barriers to justice by investing in targeted solutions originated by successful legal aid and public interest organizations. SDCBF grant recipients guarantee equal rights under the law by assuring access to justice in urgently important areas including:

• Domestic violence
• Elder law
• Disability rights
• Immigration
• Housing
• Justice for children
• Homelessness
• Advocacy on behalf of individuals and communities affected by poverty,
  abuse, and discrimination

Because justice deferred is too often justice denied, the San Diego County Bar Foundation helps to underwrite programs which improve the administration of justice throughout the San Diego court system. SDCBF plays a pivotal role in results-oriented innovations and is a proactive funder with unique expertise on issues of access to justice.

Advancing public appreciation of the law, SDCBF is the signature sponsor of the Distinguished Lawyer Memorial Fund. The fund was inaugurated in 1988 to celebrate the lives of attorneys and judges of the San Diego Bar who personified high ethical standards alongside exemplary professional skills. Honorees are recognized by a permanent display located in the Hall of Justice.

Strengthening the profession, SDCBF provides lawyers with the ability to give back while maintaining the most ethical standards in governance, leadership and management.

Looking toward the future, SDCBF is spearheading alliances which convene academic organizations, businesses, and philanthropic groups. Individual expertise will be combined to implement tactical solutions to overarching problems.

Ensuring Permanence, SDCBF is committed to its legacy and is creating permanence in the community by building its restricted and endowed funds.

Your financial support of the San Diego County Bar Foundation is a powerful philanthropic investment. Only through maintaining justice will the elderly be protected, children kept safe, the homeless given a second chance; only through maintaining justice will private conflicts be resolved for the public good.

Organizations which rely on SDCBF funding already operate on tight budgets - often there is a waiting list for services. Your support will bridge the gap between escalating demand and availability of solutions. Meanwhile, close collaboration between SDCBF and its grant recipients insures careful stewardship of your gift.

Please make your philanthropic investment in the San Diego County Bar Foundation today. You will be expressing your belief in maintaining justice.

And doing something about it, too.