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53 Judges J. 1 (2014)

handle is hein.journals/judgej53 and id is 1 raw text is: LegA Access Job Corps By ABA President James R. Silkenat ne of my top priorities as pres- ident of the American Bar Association (ABA) is to mobi- lize our efforts to help solve one of the most vexing problems facing the legal profession: too many low- and moderate- income people either cannot afford or do not have practical access to legal repre- sentation. At the same time, too many recent law graduates are without good jobs or the practical experience they need to be effective lawyers. As the national voice for the legal pro- fession, the ABA is committed to finding ways to resolve this paradox. In August 2013, we established the Legal Access Job Corps Task Force, which is identifying ways to provide meaningful work experience for new lawyers while serving the legal needs of low- and moderate-income clients. The Task Force is co-chaired by Dis- trict of Columbia Court of Appeals Chief Judge Eric Washington, a former presi- dent of the Conference of Chief Justices; Patricia White, dean of the University of Miami School of Law; and Allan Tanen- baum, a longtime bar leader from Atlanta. The access-to-justice paradox is far from new, and the ABA is not the first to seek solutions, but I believe that the ABA, which can leverage its national network of judges and lawyers, is well-prepared to address the complex issues involved. We are committed to looking at the dearth of legal jobs and the large number of unmet legal needs as one problem, instead of keep- ing the two issues isolated in separate silos. We are seeking the ideas and involvement of the judiciary, the organized bar, and oth- ers who can help identify solutions. While the problem of access to justice exists globally, the United States still falls far short. The World Justice Project ranks the United States as No. 66 out of 98 countries in terms of access to affordable civil legal services. According to the Legal Services Corporation, only a small fraction-per- haps as few as one in five-of the legal problems experienced by low-income peo- ple are addressed. The demand is so great that, nationally, only one legal aid lawyer is available for every 6,415 low-income people. There are also significant regions where the lawyer population is scant or nonexistent and where the local popula- tion, for all practical purposes, does not have timely or proximate access to a law- yer. For example, as the New York Times reported last year, when a lawyer in Ben- nett County, South Dakota, retired after 64 years in practice, no attorney was avail- able to take his place. The closest working lawyer lived 120 miles away. In a country founded on the promise of justice for all, Americans without law- yers go without justice. Judges know too well the many examples of monumental life issues that could be alleviated with the help of a lawyer-a tenant facing evic- tion from a foreclosed home, a domestic violence survivor who needs a restraining order from an abusive spouse, or a home- less veteran who needs help accessing military benefits. And newly minted lawyers are waiting for the chance to help. In 2012, only 56 percent of nearly 46,000 law school grad- uates had a job requiring bar passage nine months after graduation. One lawyer in California posted an ad on Craigslist that read: Quite frankly, I am quite desperate and willing to learn and dedicate myself to any area of the law. Last year, 50 job appli- cants applied to a Boston law firm for new associate positions that paid just $10,000. What our legal system needs is a match- maker that connects individuals in need of justice with recent law graduates who seek opportunities to gain practical experience. The Legal Access Job Corps Task Force is looking at the range of programs that help new, struggling lawyers meet the legal needs of the underserved. Initiatives include rural outreach programs, residency and incubator programs, and nonprofit fel- lowships. The Task Force has compiled a detailed list of such activities at http:// www.ambar.org/newlab. We want to foster continued on page 36 Winter 2014 - -Judges' ournal I Published in The Judges' Journal, Volume 53, Number 1, Winter 2014. @ 2014 by the American Bar Association. Reproduced with permission. All rights reserved. This information or any portion thereof may not be copied or disseminated in any form or by any means or stored in an electronic database or retrieval system without the express written consent of the American Bar Association.

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