This report by the Collateral Consequences Resource Center details new laws passed in 2017 that aim to help individuals with criminal records in the workforce. These laws assist with record sealing, limits on employer inquiries into criminal history, and expunging juvenile records.
National
Civil Legal Aid Research Workshop Report
This Civil Legal Aid Research Report, published by the White House Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable (WH-LAIR), recounts the presentations and recommendations discussed at a 2015 Civil Legal Aid Workshop. This workshop, which was hosted by the Office for Access to Justice, the National Institute of Justice, and the National Science Foundation, identified areas in civil legal aid that need more research and funding.
Opioids: Treating an Illness, Ending a War
By: Nazgol Ghandnoosh and Casey Anderson. Published by: The Sentencing Project. Published in December 2017. Link to article Link to PDF This report advocates for a revamping of the way in which the US approaches the opioid crisis. Researchers at… Read More ›
Race-Based Advocacy: The Role and Responsibility of LSC-Funded Programs
In this article, researchers at the Center for Law and Social Policy examine how LSC-funded programs may engage in race-based advocacy. They highlight examples of how programs have pursued race-based advocacy within the confines of LSC restrictions.
An Analysis of Rules that Enable Lawyers to Serve Self-Represented Litigants
This ABA analysis provides an overview the the rules authorizing limited scope representation, rules clarifying communications between counsel and parties, rules creating parameters for the lawyer’s role in document preparation, and rules governing the entry of appearances and withdrawals in court.
National Evaluation of the Legal Assistance for Victims Program
The Legal Assistance for Victims Program (LAV) “has been a success” by promoting the delivery of high-quality and comprehensive services among legal aid and domestic violence victim service programs. The federal evaluation finds that despite LAV, there is a “chronic unmet need for attorneys.”
Medical-Legal Partnership: Impact on Patients With Sickle Cell Disease
This study looked at how legal interventions affected pediatric patients with sickle cell disease. The researchers find that of the 106 cases opened under the MLP partnership resulted in 99 closed cases with 21 of them “resulting in a measurable gain of benefits.”
Medical-Legal Partnership Impact on Parents’ Perceived Stress: A Pilot Study
This study analyzed patient stress before and after receiving a legal intervention through an MLP. The researchers find that patient stress decreased after receiving legal services.
Framing Legal Care as Health Care
This guide helps legal service providers in MLPs to reframe civil legal needs as social determinants of health and better message their work to help with health care audiences. This guide shows how civil legal aid versus health care talk about their mission, the description of impact, and description of work and where they can partner and develop a common language for talking about their work.
Economic Self-Sufficiency among Women Who Experienced Intimate Partner Violence and Received Civil Legal Services
This study, funded by a DOJ award, found that for women who were experiencing intimate partner violence (also called domestic violence) and who received civil legal services for assistance in obtaining a civil protective order or assisting with a family law problem, saw increases in monthly income increase and number of assistance resources decrease. The study finds that “civil legal services are a critical component of a community coordinated response to IPV” (abstract).
Legal Aid Research 