The Center for Study of Responsive Law Announces Breaking Through Power Conference

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Breaking Through Power gathering commemorates the 50th anniversary year of Unsafe at Any Speed, which unleashed fresh civic energies and sparked the creation of numerous advocacy organizations and led to major consumer, environmental and worker safety protections.

The theme of these "€Civic Seminars"€ will be discovering ways to break through power to secure long-overdue democratic solutions made possible by a new, muscular civic nexus between local communities and Washington, D.C. During these four days, speakers will present innovative ideas and strategies designed to take existing civic groups to higher levels of effectiveness.

Speakers include:

• Consumer Advocate Ralph Nader
• John Bogle, the founder and former CEO of The Vanguard Group
• Pat Quinn, Former Governor of Illinois
• Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Delegate to Congress, D.C.
• Mitchell Garabedian, advocate for hundreds of victims of childhood sexual abuse. Most recently, he has been portrayed by Stanley Tucci in the Academy Award winning film Spotlight
• Thomas V. Girardi, attorney who brought the case against Pacific Gas and Electric Company, that inspired the film Erin Brockovich, for which Julia Roberts won an Academy Award.
• Representative John Conyers, (D-MI)
• Sharon Pratt Kelly, Former Mayor of Washington, D.C
• Anthony Williams, Former Mayor of Washington, D.C.
• Nell Minow, Vice Chair, ValueEdge Advisors, who was named one of the 20 most influential people in corporate governance by Directorship magazine in 2007. She was dubbed "€the queen of good corporate governance"€ by BusinessWeek Online in 2003
• William M. Shernoff, attorney, a longtime consumer advocate, who pioneered bad faith insurance litigation against health insurance carriers that routinely and illegally denied patients'€ medical claims on the grounds that such treatments were not medically necessary even when recommended by treating doctors.
• Joan Claybrook, President Emeritus, Public Citizen, and Former Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The complete list of speakers is available at BreakingThroughPower.Org, and an agenda can be found at https://www.breakingthroughpower.org/agenda/.

Conference themes include:

Building Civic Skills, Breaking Through Apathy, Monday September 26, 2016 (Carnegie Institution of Washington, 1530 P Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005) will feature presentations by our nation'€s leading citizen advocates and scholars to discuss successful strategies and techniques that can strengthen our civic culture and democracy.

Controlling What We Own, Shifting Power, Tuesday September 27, 2016 (Carnegie Institution of Washington, 1530 P Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005) brings together leaders from business, corporate governance, organized labor, and academia, to discuss initiatives that will make corporations accountable to shareholders and stakeholders.

Citizen Action and D.C. Statehood, September 28, 2016 (DAR Constitution Hall, 1776 D St NW, Washington, DC 20006) will showcase national leaders who have pioneered sustainable advocacy models, grassroots citizen activists, and elected officials who are championing the drive for D.C. Statehood.

Celebrating Tort Law and Civil Justice, September 29, 2016 (DAR Constitution Hall, 1776 D St NW, Washington, DC 20006) will convene leading practitioners and scholars from around the country who will provide unique insights and practical advice on protecting and expanding Tort Law.

For More Information on Unsafe at Any Speed:  https://blog.nader.org/2015/11/30/unsafe-at-any-speed-fiftieth-anniversary

SOURCE Center for Study of Responsive Law