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Access to Justice

439 ABA Journal Access to Justice articles.

Lawyers in 2 states sanctioned over association with national bankruptcy law firm

Updated: Lawyers in Iowa and Virginia have been sanctioned for their association with a national bankruptcy law firm accused of using high-pressure tactics to sign up clients.

Feb 14, 2022 1:59 PM CST

Weekly Briefs: Biden describes 4 potential SCOTUS nominees; US liable for over $230M in church shooting

Biden does ‘deep dive’ on ‘about 4’ potential SCOTUS nominees President Joe Biden told NBC Nightly News on Thursday that he has done a “deep dive” on “about four” potential U.S. Supreme Court nominees, meaning that they have been subjected to thorough background checks. Biden said his short list includes…

Feb 11, 2022 2:23 PM CST

ABE supports 12 ‘new and critical initiatives’ through annual grant program

The American Bar Endowment's Opportunity Grant Program will again support a number of causes, including advocating for children who are deaf and hard of hearing, improving access to the courts for women in prison and ensuring due process for immigrants and asylum-seekers.

Feb 9, 2022 10:16 AM CST

Lawyer who helped establish legal services for the poor dies at 86

Edgar Cahn, a lawyer who helped establish the program that would become known as the Legal Services Corp., has died at age 86.

Feb 1, 2022 11:53 AM CST

Innovative nonprofit organization supports public defenders and their clients

A low-income defendant. An overworked public defender. An underresourced legal system and a cash-strapped local government. Most people wouldn’t look at this scenario and immediately think “opportunity,” but that’s what sets New York City lawyer Emily Galvin-Almanza apart—and explains her innovative approach to legal reform.

Feb 1, 2022 2:20 AM CST

Nonprofit sues over unauthorized practice rules that prevent free nonlawyer advice in debt cases

A lawsuit filed Tuesday contends that New York’s rules banning the unauthorized practice of law interfere with a First Amendment right by nonlawyers to provide free legal advice to debt collection defendants.

Jan 26, 2022 1:41 PM CST

Immigration court system needs independence from the DOJ, ABA representative says at congressional hearing

A former chair of the ABA Commission on Immigration testified before Congress Thursday to advocate for the creation of an independent immigration court system. Immigration courts are currently located within the Department of Justice and under the control of the attorney general.

Jan 21, 2022 9:48 AM CST

New Mexico has 1/3rd the number of public defenders necessary to meet caseload, study finds

The Law Offices of the Public Defender of the State of New Mexico only has one-third of the full-time attorneys it needs to handle its adult criminal and juvenile caseloads, according to a joint study by the ABA Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defense and Seattle-based accounting and consulting firm Moss Adams.

Jan 20, 2022 11:14 AM CST

Nonlawyer-owned alternative legal services provider receives Arizona’s approval to integrate with a law firm

Elevate, a nonlawyer-owned alternative legal services provider, has been approved to operate in Arizona in tandem with an integrated law firm, the company announced Thursday.

Jan 14, 2022 11:25 AM CST

Law firm earned $6.8M for indigent defense since 2016, according to state’s overbilling suit

A lawyer who was once the highest-paid public defense lawyer in Maine is facing a state lawsuit contending that she and her law firm misrepresented the hours that they worked on behalf of indigent defendants.

Dec 13, 2021 11:36 AM CST

New database tracks gender-based violence sentencing decisions in the Pacific

“The training not only showed us information about the trends in sentencing decisions, but it definitely got us thinking about a lot of things,” said Loukinikini Vili, a lawyer and the director of human rights at Samoa’s Office of the Ombudsman/National Human Rights Institution.

Dec 9, 2021 8:49 AM CST

Judge is accused of wrongly using coercive detention to get misdemeanor defendants to pay fees, costs

An Ohio municipal judge has been accused of ignoring state law by jailing unrepresented defendants for failure to pay fees and fines without holding a hearing to determine their ability to pay.

Dec 8, 2021 4:08 PM CST

Donations for ABA Giving Day more than double previous year’s total

This year’s ABA Giving Day has exceeded expectations, raising about $90,000 more than the association’s goal for the campaign.

Nov 22, 2021 12:05 PM CST

Class action over PACER fees nears resolution with ‘agreement in principle’ to settle the case

The U.S. government and class action representatives have reached “an agreement in principle” to settle a lawsuit contending that PACER fees are excessive.

Nov 17, 2021 10:39 AM CST

How a law prof is training paraprofessionals to represent immigrants in legal proceedings

Law prof Michele Pistone says there aren’t enough immigration lawyers and pro bono attorneys to meet the demand of immigrants seeking legal assistance. This justice gap is a primary reason that she created a program to train paraprofessionals.

Nov 17, 2021 9:11 AM CST

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