One of the bedrock principles of American society is that all people—whether rich or poor—are entitled to justice. As a nation, justice is the tie that binds us.
Yet for a variety of complex and interrelated reasons, our justice system is in crisis: legal aid and public defender programs are severely underfunded; attorney caseloads are overwhelming; people are turned away without representation. The evidence of this crisis abounds.
The Legal Services Corporation estimated that in 2009 it was unable to serve almost one million people who sought assistance. At the height of our nation’s economic downturn—with poverty at an historic high and evictions, unemployment and foreclosures at epidemic levels, for every person that was served by a legal services program, one eligible person was turned away.
Statewide advocate websites are critical resources for pro bono development and the delivery of services by legal aid staff. This session will explore “next generation” uses of advocate sites as technology and legal practice evolve, as well as an online Board training and collaboration initiative.
