Fair Forums
Government benefits offices, public housing residences, and immigration detention centers; these are settings in which people interact with the government officials who make decisions that dramatically affect their lives. Many would welcome assistance—from an attorney or other advocates—as they negotiate their way through various pubic procedures. In many government facilities, however, existing rules prohibit lawyers and advocates from providing on-site information and advice.The Brennan Center works to increase attorneys and advocates’ access to government facilities and to roll back rules that require people to go it alone, without the help they seek. Currently, we provide technical assistance to non-profit advocates who are working to establish help desks in government benefits offices in New York City through the Ready Access to Assistance Act. We have also sought to stop the New York City Housing Authority from urging unrepresented public housing residents to sign stipulations forfeiting their legal rights.
Dobbins/Velazquez v. Legal Services Corporation
This lawsuit challenges restrictions on civil legal aid programs that receive some of their funding from the federal Legal Services Corporation (LSC).
Those of us raised on cop dramas take for granted that in this country you have the right to an attorney, and that if you cannot afford it, one will be provided to you....
Time to Let a Little Sunshine In
Sometimes, complex, intractable problems require complex, expensive solutions. So it’s particularly frustrating when government refuses to adopt a free, simple and proven method to address an important social issue
Illustrations by Risko
Study Exposes Lack of Standards for Appointing Defense Counsel
This report covers unfair practices in effect in states including Florida, Tennessee, Ohio, and Nebraska, and highlights best practices in others, like Massachusetts, Washington, and Vermont. People are often wrongly denied defense counsel, violating 6th Amendment.