Description

The 2026 NCBF Annual Meeting and Conference

Cornerstone of Progress: Resilience and Access to Justice

will be held on August 13-15, in Montgomery, Alabama, hosted by the Alabama Law Foundation with all sessions being held at Elevation Convening Center and Hotel. Join us in-person or virtually for presentations, workshops, and discussions led by top professionals and peers. Programming begins at 9:00 AM Friday and concludes at 1:00 PM Saturday.

Elevation Convening Center and Hotel
600 Montgomery Street
Montgomery, AL 36104

NCBF Special Rate: $160
Booking Deadline: June 30, 2026
Special Rate Link: Click Here

NCBF special rates are available until June 30, 2026 using this special link. If you have any issues booking your hotel room during the Annual Meeting and Conference dates at the $160/night NCBF rate, please contact us at info@ncbf.org before you make your reservation to get the special rate.

A complete description of opportunities and a map of the area are available below.

Registration Information*

• NCBF Members: In-Person attendance, $279 per person (early bird) $329 (regular)  | Virtual attendance $125 per person (early bird) $179 (regular)
• Non-Members: In-Person attendance, $379 per person (early bird) $429 (regular)  | Virtual attendance $199 per person (early bird) $259 per person (regular)
• All Attendees: Thursday Meet & Greet at Elevation  – Free
• All Attendees: Friday Night Dinner – $100 per person

The 2026 NCBF Annual Meeting and Conference will be held at Elevation Convening Center and Hotel. See below for maps and details.

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Friday, August 14th

8:30 AM Breakfast Gathering
Continental Breakfast

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9:00 AM Conference Welcome & First-Time Attendee Introductions

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9:30 AM Session 1: (Opening Plenary)

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10:30 AM Session 2: Branding for Bar Foundations

Strong branding is not just about visibility—it is about trust, credibility, and advancing access to justice. This session, led by Susan Hanley Duncan, will explore how bar foundations can use authentic storytelling, clear messaging, and consistent identity to elevate their mission and mobilize support for civil rights and legal services.

Susan Hanley Duncan serves as Executive Director of the Kentucky Bar Foundation and IOLTA Fund, where she leads efforts to expand access to justice and strengthen civil legal services across the Commonwealth. A seasoned leader in legal education, fundraising, and nonprofit management, Susan previously served as Dean of the University of Mississippi School of Law and Interim Dean of the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law. Under her leadership, the Foundation has modernized operations, increased grant applications by 55%, and grown annual grant funding from $287,000 to $475,000, supporting programs that assist children, survivors of domestic violence, veterans, and individuals facing housing insecurity.

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11:45 AM Break

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12:00 PM Lunch and Awards

2026 NCBF Partnership for Success Award
2026 NCBF Excellence Award Ceremony

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1:00 PM Session 3: Funding Models and Peer-to-Peer Fundraising in the Legal Community

This session will feature Sang Yup Lee, Carey Shoufler, and Jessie Reeves exploring diversified funding strategies that sustain access to justice, including annual giving, major gifts, and young lawyer engagement. Presenters will also highlight successful peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns such as the Chicago Bar Foundation’s Investing in Justice Campaign and share practical tools that foundations can replicate.

Sang Yup Lee is the Director of Development at The Chicago Bar Foundation. In this role, Sang leads the CBF’s fundraising efforts and oversees all aspects of the CBF’s individual and corporate giving programs. Prior to his career in nonprofit development, Sang was an attorney for the Progressive Law Group LLC, where he worked on class action litigation and consumer rights cases. As part of his community work, he currently serves as the President of the National Conference of Bar Foundations and has previously served as President of the Asian American Bar Association of Greater Chicago. Sang earned both his B.A. in Psychology and J.D. from the University of Notre Dame.

For 22 years, Carey Shoufler has served as the Development and Law Related Education Director for the Idaho Law Foundation. Carey oversees the Foundation’s fundraising and communication efforts and provides leadership and management for a statewide civic education program for people of all ages.

Jessie Reeves is the Director of Events & Administration for the Illinois Bar Foundation, where she has served in a variety of fundraising roles since starting with IBF in 2015. Currently, Jessie is responsible for developing and implementing the Foundation’s event fundraising, donor and board relations, and communications and marketing plans, and she also administers the IBF’s statewide Lawyers Care Fund, which provides financial aid and other resources to attorneys and their families during times of crisis. Jessie is based in the IBF’s Chicago office and outside of work, loves exploring the many amazing neighborhoods of the city, volunteering with a local animal rescue, and traveling with her husband and rescue pup.

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2:15 PM Break

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2:30 PM Session 4: Leveraging AI for Resilience and Efficiency in Bar Foundations

This session explores practical and ethical uses of artificial intelligence in bar foundation work, including donor communications, grantmaking processes, data analysis, and workflow automation.

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3:30 PM Break

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3:45 PM Session 5: Supporting Grantees and Responding to Emerging Civil Rights Challenges

Legal services organizations and civil rights advocates are navigating rapidly changing legal and social environments. In this session Erikka Ryan will explore how bar foundations can support grantees through flexible funding, capacity building, emergency support, and long-term collaboration.

Erikka Ryan currently serves as the Director of Equity, Inclusion, and Foundations for the Minnesota State, Hennepin, and Ramsey County Bar Associations,  focusing on both long-term systemic change and day-to-day programming and direct support of diverse attorneys.

Since 2021, she has added the role of staffing the bar’s three foundations that give hundreds of thousands of dollars each year directly to legal aid organizations throughout the state in the pursuit of narrowing the access to justice gap for historically marginalized communities.

Erikka lives and works in North Minneapolis with her husband and toddler, and most enjoys sunny strolls through twin cities parks with her three pups and sipping her way through local coffee spots.

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4:45 PM Conclusion of Day 1 Presentations

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6:30 PM Friday Night Cocktails & Dinner

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Saturday, August 15th

8:30 AM Breakfast Gathering
Breakfast Buffet

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9:00 AM 2026 NCBF Annual Meeting of Members

Sang Yup Lee currently serves as the President of the National Conference of Bar Foundations.

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9:30 AM Session 6: Bar Foundation Program Survey Reveal

This session will unveil the results of a national survey of bar foundations, offering insight into how organizations are structured, funded, and advancing access to justice across the country. Presenters will highlight key trends, benchmarks, and emerging practices.

Sang Yup Lee is the Director of Development at The Chicago Bar Foundation. In this role, Sang leads the CBF’s fundraising efforts and oversees all aspects of the CBF’s individual and corporate giving programs. Prior to his career in nonprofit development, Sang was an attorney for the Progressive Law Group LLC, where he worked on class action litigation and consumer rights cases. As part of his community work, he currently serves as the President of the National Conference of Bar Foundations and has previously served as President of the Asian American Bar Association of Greater Chicago. Sang earned both his B.A. in Psychology and J.D. from the University of Notre Dame.

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11:00 AM Break

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11:15 AM Session 7: Rural Access to Justice

Rural communities face unique and often deepening barriers to legal services. This session will explore how bar foundations can strengthen rural access to justice through innovative funding models, partnerships, and technology solutions.

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12:15 PM Session 8: Roundtable Discussions and Lunch

Peer Breakout: Foundations with Similar Profiles

Participants will join facilitated discussions with peers from foundations with similar structures, budgets, or staffing models to share strategies and explore solutions to common challenges.

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All our sessions will be held at the Elevation Hotel located at:

Elevation Convening Center and Hotel
600 Montgomery Street
Montgomery, AL 36104

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Things to do while in Montgomery, Alabama. Come a few days early or stay a day or more after the meeting.