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Law in the Public Interest: Challenges & Strategies Public Interest Law Seminar: 20 June 2008 Morrison Hotel, Dublin 1 Michele Storms, Executive Director Gates Public Service Law Program University of Washington School of Law, Seattle, WA “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” Martin Luther King, Jr., 1963 from Birmingham jail, Alabama Public Interest Law Advocacy Identify the problems facing people, society Root out the barriers Identify your allies Develop resources Coordinate & collaborate every step of the way Utilize multi-forum advocacy 2003 Civil Legal Needs Study in Washington State 3 out of 4 low income people face at least one critical civil legal problem each year. Attorney Assistance 12% No Attorney Assistance 88% 2008 US Federal Poverty Guidelines Persons in Household Income Limit 100% FPL Income Limit 125% FPL 2 $14,000 $17,500 3 $17,600 $22,000 4 $21,200 $26,500 5 $24,800 $31,000 Poverty by the Numbers About a Million people are living in poverty in Washington (125% FPL). About 600,000 low income people do not receive legal help when they need it. Imagine Living on this Budget Income: $24,000 Annual income of a family of 4 living in poverty Expenses: Balance Housing $5,756 $18,244 Utilities $2,656 $15,588 Transportation $5,330 $10,258 Food $4,064 $6,194 Health Care $2,329 $3,865 Child Care $2,600 $1,265 www.povertyusa.org What do you leave out? You have $105 left over per month… School Supplies Clothes & Shoes Toiletries Cleaning Supplies Travel (visiting family) Birthdays & Gifts Life Insurance Entertainment Savings Education Now Imagine… You’re unlawfully evicted from your home. Your employer has not paid you in two months. Your food stamps are terminated with no explanation. Your spouse is violent. You fear for your safety and that of your children. Unresolved Legal Issues = Devastating Consequences Homelessness Unemployment Hunger Broken Families Physical Abuse Lack of Medical Care Despair Public Interest Law Advocacy represents the difference Between: Homelessness and Shelter Abuse and Safety Hunger and Food on the Table Poverty and Economic Stability Public Interest Law Advocacy might be in the form of: Individual Case Representation Class Action Litigation Legislative Advocacy and Reform Community Outreach and Community Legal Education Collaboration between public interest lawyers and private practitioners What is Washington State Doing to Close the Justice Gap? Alliance for Equal Justice The State Plan Public-Private Partnership The Alliance for Equal Justice The Alliance for Equal Justice of Washington state is a network of organizations providing civil legal aid to those with nowhere else to turn. Formed to coordinate and foster collaboration, the Alliance provides critically needed services-information, advice and representation-to those in need. Alliance Members & Supporters For Clients: Legal education, advice, and representation to those who otherwise could not afford legal counsel Legislative Advocacy For Public Interest Organizations: Financial Support & Accountability Strategic Planning Technological Improvements Effective Communications The Coordination Challenge: The State Plan A Blueprint for Delivery of Civil Legal Aid to Low-Income People in Washington Goals: Ensure availability of equal services for all low income people in need. Invest scarce resources equitably & effectively. Coordinate activities toward common goals. Support the needs of programs serving clients. The Hallmarks of an Effective State-wide Civil Legal Services Delivery System Poverty should not be an impediment to Justice. The mission of the statewide legal services delivery system is to offer low income individuals and groups both direct representation and other legal assistance that enables them to: Protect and enforce their rights; Use the civil justice system to oppose laws, regulations, policies and practices that operate unfairly against them; Develop and implement laws, regulations, polices and practices that improve their quality of life; and Effectively advocate their legal rights and interests on their own behalf. The Hallmarks of an Effective State-wide Civil Legal Services Delivery System The system's effectiveness is dependent upon its commitment to assessing and responding to the most critical needs of clients as identified by low income clients and potential clients. Those in poverty have an equal right to justice regardless of who they are, where they live, or the language they speak. The justice system must be barrier free. The Hallmarks of an Effective State-wide Civil Legal Services Delivery System A legal services delivery system is effective only to the degree that positive results are achieved for clients, particularly in areas of high priority client need. The right to justice must remain constant regardless of changing social, political, economic or other conditions in the country, state and communities where low income people live. The Funding Challenge: Public-Private Support IOLTA (Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts) Private Support (Campaign for Equal Justice) Federal (Legal Services Corporation) State (Office of Civil Legal Aid) The Justice Gap Private IOLTA State Federal Justice Gap Estimated Graph Getting the Work Done: Partnerships for Advocacy & Education Alliance Partners Public Interest Advocates & Private Practitioners Coordination with Social Service Agencies and Law Schools Examples of Advocacy Partnerships Education Equity project: The Washington State Constitution requires that the state provide an adequate education to every Washington child regardless of color, caste, race or gender. The Education Equity project is focusing on: 1) remediation services and other issues relating to ELL (English language learner) students; 2) rulemaking around alternatives to the WASL, remediation services for ELL students and the appeals process for the WASL; and 3) outreach to affected communities in the Yakima Valley. Participants: Columbia Legal Services, Team Child, ACLUWA, Northwest Justice Project, law professors & student interns Working with Law Schools Providing Public Interest-Focused Curriculum Coordinating with Law School Clinical programs Integrating Law Students into Public Interest Practice Venues Helping to make public interest careers affordable for law graduates The Relevance of Public Interest Law in Society Today This is the duty of our generation as we enter the twenty-first century -- solidarity with the weak, the persecuted, the lonely, the sick, and those in despair. It is expressed by the desire to give a noble and humanizing meaning to a community in which all members will define themselves not by their own identity but by that of others. Elie Wiesel, writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate & Holocaust survivor Some National (US) Resources Alliance for Justice http://www.afj.org/about-afj/ American Bar Association: Center for Pro Bono & Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/probono/ http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/sclaid/ Equal Justice Works http://www.equaljusticeworks.org/ Legal Services Corporation www.lsc.org Management Information Exchange www.m-i-e.org National Legal Aid & Defender Organization www.nlada.org Pro Bono Net http://www.probono.net/ The Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law http://www.povertylaw.org/ Washington State Resources Advocate Resource Center www.advocateresourcecenter.org Alliance for Equal Justice http://allianceforequaljustice.org/ Equal Justice Coalition http://www.ejc.org/ Washington LawHelp www.washingtonlawhelp.org (for clients) Washington State Bar Association, Access to Justice www.wsba.org/atj