����51

Congressional and Community Outreach and Education

����51 raised awareness of the increased need for civil legal aid throughout 2023, bringing together public officials and legal experts to promote access to justice.

The year kicked off in January with ����51’s annual Innovations in Technology Conference in Phoenix. Attorneys, tech experts and other professionals showcased how using and improving technology can improve access to justice. The conference attracted nearly 600 attendees, who gathered to share ideas for improving legal representation for low-income Americans.

����51 also hosted an access to justice forum in Phoenix that month. Distinguished local and national leaders attended the event including Arizona Supreme Court Vice Chief Justice Ann A. Scott Timmer and Arizona Court of Appeals Judge Samuel Thumma. Sociologist and Arizona State University Professor Rebecca Sandefur spoke at a lunch-and-learn session before the event, comparing legal issues to an iceberg, where only about 10-15% of all legal problems are ever seen by a lawyer or in court. She advocated for alternative solutions to tackle the justice gap, such as providing non-lawyers with the means and authority to assist Americans with their legal needs. 

John Grisham explained the reason for his long-time commitment to legal aid. Early in his law career, he worked a case on behalf of a group of low-income trailer park residents, showing him “the power of the license to practice law when it’s used to help people.” The forum also included two panel discussions on different aspects of access to justice: “The Promise of Legal Regulatory Reform” featuring ����51 President Ronald S. Flagg and the chief justices of the Supreme Courts of Indiana, Minnesota, Oregon and Texas and “Corporate Perspectives on Closing the Justice Gap,” which was moderated by ����51 Leaders Council Co-Chair Harriet Miers and included leaders from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Marriott International and Medtronic.

In July, ����51 headed to New York City for a forum featuring two panel discussions. Representatives from four cities that have made it a right for tenants to have a lawyer when facing eviction—New York City, Newark, Cleveland and Kansas City—shared lessons learned from the process. The second panel featured national business and civic leaders who shared their thoughts on the importance of investment in civil legal aid. Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals Rowan Wilson described at the forum how—despite public perception—civil legal issues can be just as pressing as criminal ones.

“There are some civil matters that have a more catastrophic real-world consequence than some criminal matters,” he said, noting that he would rather spend 30 days in jail than lose his home or custody of his children. And yet, only Americans facing criminal charges have the right to an attorney.

“We are not doing nearly enough,” Judge Wilson argued, to help people facing potentially life-changing civil issues. In October, ����51 hosted an event in Los Angeles spotlighting tenant rights and other housing issues. Conway Collis, president and CEO, Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles; Isela Gracian, Office of L.A. County Supervisor; and Antonia Hernández, former president and CEO, California Community Foundation shared remarks.

Executive directors of Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles and Community Legal Aid SoCal discussed effective partnerships for protecting tenant rights. Speakers stressed the magnitude of the housing crisis. According to Almas Sayeed, vice president of Public Partnerships at Liberty Hill Foundation, “It is taking everyone in this room to stem the tide of the emergency we’re dealing with, not just in the city of Los Angeles but in the entire county.” Housing insecurity is also a pressing problem for veterans and was the focus of ����51’s annual Veterans Day forum on November 13. The virtual program featured Rep. Laurel Lee (FL-15) and other leading veterans advocates. ����51 General Counsel and Corporate Secretary Will A. Gunn, a former general counsel for the VA and a retired Air Force colonel, moderated a discussion on how to serve veterans who are unhoused or at risk of homelessness.

����51 leadership continued to spread the message of legal aid’s importance throughout the year. In August, ����51 Board Chair Levi addressed the American Bar Association’s (ABA) House of Delegates to thank the ABA for its vital role in protecting the promise of equal justice for all. He also discussed the challenges involved with closing the justice gap.

“Equal access to justice is not charity,” he said. “We owe it to future generations to stand up now and insist on the funding necessary to keep faith with our country’s promise of equal access to justice.” ����51 President Flagg was interviewed by Crain’s Cleveland Business, Detroit Free Press and Law360 and other news outlets on the justice gap and the importance of efforts to close it. He also traveled widely across the country discussing the importance of legal aid.

Notably, he gave the commencement address at Appalachian School of Law in Virginia, delivered remarks at a luncheon hosted by the Supreme Court of Texas and spoke at the convening of the White House Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable.

He also penned an op-ed on illegal evictions with Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles Executive Director Silvia R. Arguetta that appeared in the California Lawyer.

“To combat illegal evictions, we need to ensure that people know their rights and have access to civil legal services,” they wrote.