Access-to-justice work earns MacArthur ‘genius grant’ for American Bar Foundation faculty fellow

American Bar Foundation faculty fellow Rebecca Sandefur has been awarded a MacArthur Fellowship for 2018 for her work "promoting a new, evidence-based approach to increasing access to civil justice for low-income communities."

Oct 5, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

Let’s trash ‘data dump’ litigation ploys

Lawyers become their own worst enemies when they abandon reasonable discovery compromise to chase the ever-elusive smoking gun. A second misconception that has to go is that only the manual review of produced documents will suffice.

Oct 5, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

Atlanta pro bono program expands to resolve elementary school students’ housing issues

The Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation addressed issues in an apartment complex where evictions are routine and black mold is rampant.

Oct 1, 2018 2:00 AM CDT

Legal aid program in Oklahoma is dedicated to representing moms in trouble

The group Still She Rises seeks to address criminalization and incarceration of women in Oklahoma, focusing on helping indigent mothers in northern Tulsa, a historically impoverished and underresourced community. Still She Rises began taking clients in January 2017 as the first pro bono law office in the country specifically dedicated to representing mothers involved in the criminal justice system.

Oct 1, 2018 1:45 AM CDT

ABA releases new report on access to justice commissions in the US

Twenty-four years after the founding of the first access to justice commission, the American Bar Association has released a report analyzing the the structure, activity, staffing and funding in 40 state and U.S. territory commissions. “Access to Justice Commissions: Increasing Effectiveness Through Adequate Staffing and Funding” was compiled for the…

Sep 14, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

Can licensed legal paraprofessionals narrow the access-to-justice gap?

Proposals for addressing the commonplace civil legal needs of low- and moderate-income persons by authorizing limited practice by licensed nonlawyer paraprofessionals have been gaining acceptance. Unlike paralegals, such paraprofessionals provide services without supervision by an attorney. Two state supreme courts have embraced the licensed legal technician concept, and other jurisdictions are closely studying it.

Sep 6, 2018 6:05 AM CDT

Firms provide pro bono assistance to Kansas City communities

Adopt-a-Neighborhood was conceived as a way to use pro bono work to support economic development in Kansas City’s eastside neighborhoods, where homes sit vacant and most residents qualify for Legal Aid’s help.

Sep 1, 2018 2:55 AM CDT

Billie Tarascio: Her law firm is her lab

Billie Tarascio is experimenting on her law firm for the profession’s greater good.

Sep 1, 2018 2:25 AM CDT

Miguel Willis: Bringing law to the last frontier

Miguel Willis is only 29, and he’s already created his own job—twice.

Sep 1, 2018 2:25 AM CDT

Michele Mirto: Stepping up A2J while cutting cost

Michele Mirto’s commitment to access to justice started as a little girl. Her parents drove home the importance of community involvement by leading their kids to donate to the food bank and homeless shelter.

Sep 1, 2018 2:25 AM CDT

Lisa Colpoys: Forming new futures in law

Legal technology suits Lisa Colpoys because “there’s always something new and shiny,” says the Chicago attorney who recently left a legal aid career to help build the boot camp for the Institute for the Future of Law Practice.

Sep 1, 2018 2:25 AM CDT

Showrunners: Couple’s friendly fundraising competition launches marathon event

Lawyers Crystal and Michael Freed organized marathons and other events to raise money for legal aid and awareness of human trafficking.

Sep 1, 2018 1:30 AM CDT

There is no justice as long as millions lack meaningful access to it

Equal access to justice is a pillar of our justice system and a core American value. In fact, it has been fundamental to our self-understanding since even before we were a nation. It informs the principle of righteousness in the Iroquois Confederacy’s Great Law of Peace: “Each individual must have a strong sense of justice, must treat people as equals and must enjoy equal protection under the Great Law.”

Aug 30, 2018 6:05 AM CDT

Time for the legal industry to speak out for the rule of law

The rule of law is under siege and it’s incoming on all sides.

The judiciary, the Department of Justice, the intelligence community, and the State Department have all been rebuked repeatedly, undermining their legal and moral authorities. Our electoral process has been compromised and efforts to investigate the culprits, circumstances, and motives of the perpetrators have been resisted even as the intelligence community is in unanimous agreement that all signs point to Russian interference.

Aug 20, 2018 2:00 PM CDT

Funding your legal tech initiative through an initial coin offering

Ari Kaplan: Why is Legaler funding its access to justice initiative through an initial coin offering?

Stevie Ghiassi: Fundraising has seen a significant shift to companies actually raising money directly from their communities.

Aug 17, 2018 6:05 AM CDT