Our Founder, Sargent Shriver

Sargent Shriver founded the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law (then the National Clearinghouse for Legal Services) in 1967. As the architect of a nationally coordinated system for delivering legal services to low-income people, Mr. Shriver focused on the use of information and communication to add value to the very limited resources allocated for the legal representation of people in poverty.

Through the Shriver Center, Mr. Shriver established a communications, research, and advocacy hub that to this day helps lawyers more efficiently and effectively share information, ideas, and strategies to ensure the opportunity for low-income clients to participate in our justice system.

Mr. Shriver translates the ideal into the practical. His work has made an indelible mark on the history of our country. He challenges Americans to apply commonsense strategies to promote the ideals of a just and humane society. His public service contributions are numerous; they include his leadership of VISTA, the Peace Corps, Head Start, and Job Corps. For exceptional meritorious service, Mr. Shriver received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, from President Bill Clinton in 1994. Currently Mr. Shriver is chairman of the Special Olympics.

To honor and perpetuate Sargent Shriver's spirit and commitment to justice through excellence in service, the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law established the Sargent Shriver Award for Equal Justice. This award is presented to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to justice and the delivery of legal services to low-income people.

Read Rita McLennon's talk about Sargent Shriver's legacy.