Analysis & Commentary
Civil Justice
The Existing Civil Right to Counsel Infrastructure
A discussion of the ways in which to use existing legal infrastructure to expand the right to counsel in civil cases appeared in The Judges’ Journal.
Authored by: Laura K. Abel & Judge Lora J. Livingston
– Fall 2008
A ‘Modest’ First Step For Civil Justice Plan (NY Law Journal)
New York State Bar Association’s House of Delegates passes resolution focusing efforts to provide free or low-cost civil legal services for the poor on those facing “dire situations” and urges the legislature to extend the right to counsel to cover vulnerable low-income people facing eviction from or foreclosure of their homes.
Authored by: Joel Stashenko
– 11/04/08
Toward a Right to Counsel in Civil Cases in New York State (A NYSBA Report)
Adopting a report written by the Brennan Center’s Laura Abel, the New York State Bar Association champions a right to counsel in eviction and foreclosure cases and in certain unemployment insurance appeals.
Authored by: Laura Abel
– 11/01/08
The Ready Access to Assistance Act
Editorial about offering help where it is needed appeared in the NY Nonprofit Press.
Authored by: Betsy Gotbaum & Laura Abel
– 10/07/08
The Price of Rushing Regulatory Reform
As Bush leaves office, there’s a rush to issue last-minute regulations for the nation’s executive agencies. As a result, we face the specter of starting 2009 with an ill-considered regulatory regime that will be hard for the next president to alter.
– 06/19/08
Civil Justice Blog
Each month, Brennan Center staff contribute the Drum Major Institute’s Civil Justice Blog
Unleash Legal Aid (New York Times Op-Ed)
“Legal aid lawyers are among the few allies of poor homeowners caught in the subprime-mortgage meltdown. But these lawyers are hamstrung by federal regulations that limit homeowners’ access to speedy, low-cost legal relief.”
Authored by: Joseph Sant
– 04/14/08
Shadow Report to U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
The Brennan Center participated in a shadow report to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, arguing that the United States’ failure to provide a civil right to counsel violates the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
– 12/10/07
Fact Sheet: How the Legal Services Restriction Creates a Wasteful System
State examples of the inefficiencies created by the legal services restriction on state, local, and private money.
– 06/16/07
Egalitarianism and Exclusion
In the article, Andrew J. Elmore examines current guest worker programs and recommends their reform through a “non-subordination” approach that balances the interests of nonprofessional foreign nationals and U.S. workers.
Authored by: Andrew J. Elmore
– 06/01/07