Due to the economic downturn, low-income families have increasingly faced issues such as foreclosures, bankruptcies, and access barriers to unemployment insurance and other safety net programs. A good lawyer could be the difference between being overwhelmed by these circumstances and effectively surviving these harsh times. Yet, just as the economy is negatively impacting the poor, it is equally affecting the lawyers who serve them.

The American Constitution Society, Center for American Progress, and Washington Council of Lawyers are co-sponsoring this event featuring experts representing a variety of perspectives. They will discuss federal level policy solutions, the nationwide impact of the downturn on legal services programs, and an in-depth look at how one community —Washington, DC— is coping with strained resources amidst a swelling demand for services.

How might public policy be different if Americans saw government as an innovative force, lowering costs, improving performance, and yielding ever higher returns on taxpayer investments?

The private sector becomes more efficient every year, at a long-term average of 1.64 percent in the United States. Research suggests that public-sector productivity, however, is flat or even down. A new McKinsey report points to at least three key reasons for this stagnation—diffuse government authority, lack of clear performance metrics, and insufficient attention to improving nuts-and-bolts operations. Addressing these problems could boost government productivity by at least 5 percent, according to McKinsey estimates. With the economy shrinking, deficits ballooning and the public's expectations of government rising, the need to achieve productivity gains has never been more urgent.

Please join the Center for American Progress for an expert discussion that will explore ways to boost government's productivity and achieve budget savings.

U.S.-Russia relations are at a critical turning point. This key bilateral relationship was in tatters when President George W. Bush left office. The Obama administration has begun the process of healing the rift with the "reset button," a tactic intended to improve the toxic atmosphere that it inherited. The reset has been relatively successful thus far, but the real test of it will come during President Barack Obama's summit with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev in Moscow on July 6-8.

Please join the Center for American Progress and former Secretary of Defense William Cohen for the launch of the Center's new report "After the 'Reset:' A Strategy and New Agenda for U.S. Russia Policy," written by Dr. Samuel Charap, and a discussion of the issues the Obama administration will face during the Moscow summit.

Paul Butler was an ambitious federal prosecutor, a Harvard Law grad who gave up his corporate law salary to fight the good fight—until one day he was arrested on the street and charged with a crime he didn't commit.

The Center for American Progress will host a panel and a Q & A discussion around Butler’s book, Let's Get Free, in which the author gives an insider's view of the “lock-'em-up” culture that makes every American worse off. Butler also offers innovative methods for citizens to resist complicity and stand up for their rights, and introduces the concept of strategic jury nullification—voting "not guilty" on principle—as a powerful way to protest unfair laws.

Copies of Let's Get Free will be available for purchase.

The secret is out: Current teacher evaluation systems in the United States are entirely inadequate. Evaluations bear little or no relation to student achievement, and they fail to provide teachers with information about what they do well and what they need to do better. Furthermore, as a condition for receipt of State Fiscal Stabilization Funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Governors may have to report the percentage of teachers rated in each evaluation performance category, district-by-district. Nobody should be surprised if the percentages of teachers rated below par are extremely low.

But why does this matter? Rigorous teacher evaluation systems represent an important tool for aligning teacher policies with the goals of improving instruction and student achievement. In particular, tenure policies meant to protect teachers from arbitrary dismissal, have developed a reputation for protecting incompetent teachers. In the absence of rigorous evaluation systems, tenure will surely continue to draw fire from critics of long-standing employment practices.

Twenty-five years ago Congress established a regulatory regime to facilitate generic drug creation, and the availability of these drugs has resulted in substantial consumer savings. With Congress addressing the health care issue this summer, it is important that we now consider the potential public savings made possible from ensuring access to affordable medicine through increased generic competition.

Many are also concerned that patent settlements involving innovator and generic firms are delaying new generic drugs from entering the market. These settlements significantly increase health care costs, and some commentators estimate that they cost consumers billions annually in higher drug prices. Congress and antitrust enforcers are taking steps to address this problem.

Please join the Center for American Progress as Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz discusses recent developments on the issue. A panel of distinguished experts will also talk about generic drug competition and a report issued by CAP on competition in the pharmaceutical markets.

The recession is taking a toll on most Americans and has resulted in job losses not seen in almost 25 years. There are less jobs available, but black men have long faced limited employment prospects and disproportionately high rates of unemployment. To address this crisis, policymakers are actively focused on creating more jobs, but the issues that impact black men go beyond job creation.

Please join the Center for American Progress for a discussion that will explore the root causes of black men's difficulties in the labor market and examine policy solutions that will reduce inequities and promote equal opportunity. Speakers will address the current status of black men's labor market participation; race-based employment discrimination; barriers to employment posed by criminal records; and relevant legislative approaches to eliminating barriers to work.