Enjoy the full program with access to all main activities.

Join us in celebrating the Legal Resources Centre's ongoing work and standing together to safeguard access to justice for all.

6:00 - 7:00 PM Cocktail Reception

7:00 - 9:00 PM Dinner, Program, Music, and Dancing

2026 Honorees:

• Lifetime Justice Award presented to Justice Albie Sachs: In recognition of a lifetime devoted to the pursuit of justice, from the fight against apartheid to the founding of South Africa's Constitution and his service as a Justice of its Constitutional Court.
• Lifetime Courage Award presented to former Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall: In recognition of the courage she showed opposing apartheid as a young activist in South Africa, and for carrying that same conviction into a lifetime devoted to justice and the rule of law.
• Champions of Justice Award presented to Dechert LLP: In recognition of Dechert's extraordinary generosity and steadfast dedication to justice, sustaining a collaboration with the Legal Resources Centre that has delivered hundreds of hours of pro bono legal work each year.
• Voice of Freedom Award presented to Jonathan Butler: In recognition of a life and career that gave voice to the South African experience under apartheid, carrying its story to the world through music, with Nelson Mandela himself crediting Butler's music as a source of inspiration during his imprisonment.

Fireside Chat
Two Nations, One Struggle: A Conversation on Human Rights
Justice Albie Sachs and Sherrilyn Ifill, moderated by Melissa Murray

A conversation between two towering figures in the global fight for justice: Justice Albie Sachs, founding justice of South Africa's Constitutional Court and survivor of an apartheid-era car bomb attack, and Sherrilyn Ifill, former President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Moderated by NYU law professor Melissa Murray, the discussion explores what South Africa and the United States can each learn from the other's ongoing struggle to build a just society.

Musical Performance
Jonathan Butler

GRAMMY-nominated South African singer-songwriter and guitarist Jonathan Butler closes out the evening with a live performance. Born in Cape Town under apartheid, Butler broke racial racial barriers as a teenager to become an internationally celebrated artist across R&B, jazz, soul, and gospel.