Catholic Charities Atlanta is celebrating its second annual gala by honoring a local attorney who gave voice to the voiceless in the court system.

Charles Lester Jr., an attorney and partner at the Sutherland Asbill & Brennan law firm, is to be given the social service agency’s most prestigious recognition, the Archbishop Donoghue Award, for his advocacy and representation of the helpless that has improved lives for the better.

The fundraiser is scheduled for Thursday, April 16, at the JW Marriott Hotel Buckhead Atlanta at 6 p.m. Individual tickets are $150, and sponsorships are also available. All proceeds benefit the programs and services of Catholic Charities Atlanta.

The nonprofit has served more than one million poor and needy clients in around Atlanta and North Georgia since 1953. As professional providers of services to families, support for pregnant women, assistance and education to immigrants and refugees, Catholic Charities answered more than 35,000 calls and assisted 9,000 families in 2008. The national Council on Accreditation approved Atlanta Catholic Charities to be reaccredited after finding its operations and service delivery practices met national standards for best business practices.

The keynote speaker for the gala will be Father Larry Snyder, the national president of Catholic Charities and recent appointee to the President’s Council of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

At the banquet, Lester will be honored for his many years of service to individuals and communities here. He served as president at the Atlanta Legal Aid Society, director of the Georgia Asylum & Immigration Network and director for the Public Service Foundation, among other contributions to the community.