This brief presents four case studies of medical-legal partnerships (MLPs) with projects dedicated to assisting those with opioid use or substance use disorder in Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Portsmouth (Ohio) and Reno. It finds that MLPs are successful at reducing barriers to employment, stabilizing families, and improving health.
Medical-Legal Partnerships (MLPs) offer a unique union between legal aid and health care services. Focusing on the operations of Veteran Health Administration (VHA) medical centers in Connecticut and New York, this report describes MLP development and application in the context of veterans’ needs. After discussing the critical needs of the veteran population, the authors conclude with steps regarding how to go about establishing an MLP.
This article describes three parent-representation programs: New York City’s Center for Family Representation; Detroit’s Center for Family Advocacy; and Washington State’s Office of Public Defense Parent Representation Program. The article also provides recommendations for evaluating and expanding programs like these.
This study finds that parents who obtain legal representation in child welfare cases are more likely to have their children returned to them. And, if the father is present, this likelihood increases further.
Researchers analyzed data from 950 veterans who used serviced provided at four MLPs. They find that veterans most frequently reported problems related to benefits, housing, family, and consumer finance. After receiving services through a MLP, the veterans experienced improvements in housing, income, and mental health.
Two investigative journalists for ProPublica analyzed debt in collections by neighborhood tract. They find that debt is concentrated in neighborhoods that are majority black and that the average balance for which a balance was sued varies by race; white residents were sued for higher amounts, suggesting that they are better able to resolve smaller debts.
This program evaluation of the QIC-ChildRep training for attorneys representing children in child welfare cases finds that children assigned to attorneys who underwent the intervention’s training were more likely to experience permanency within 6 months when compared to attorneys who did not participate in the intervention. Attorneys who participated in the intervention met with their child client more frequently, spend more time on cases, contacted more parties, spent more time developing the theory of the case, and had more contact with foster parents and substitute caregivers.
The researchers surveys rural populations in six states — California, Georgia, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Maine, and South Dakota — to provide insights on the rural challenges confronting each of these states, the legal resources available, and existing policy responses.
The nine state legal needs studies released 2000-2005 indicate that the findings of the 1993 ABA study concerning the gap between the legal needs experienced by low-income people and the services they receive from private attorneys and legal aid programs remain valid today.
This is a two-year study of state efforts to provide indigent representation services in civil cases finds that a lack of clear federal guidelines has resulted in variations in state provisions.
Legal Aid Research 