Legal Assistance For Legal Aid

The concept of mandatory pro bono and whether or not lawyers should be required to participate in this public service has been the contentious subject of debate over recent years. Focusing on Mirko Bagaric and Penny Dimopoulos’ statement: “In our view not only do lawyers not have a duty to act for free, but they are misguided in doing so and should, for the long term benefit of the community, cease engaging in pro bono work,” this essay will critically analyse the implications of introducing mandatory pro bono into the legal profession by examining both the positive and negative aspects through the issues of altruism, tradition, government funding and the onus on small firms.

More than ever people are losing access to justice. Even though the global economic crisis affected everyone, and every jurisdictions budget there needs to be a minimum level of funding for legal aid to protect the rights of those that cannot afford legal aid (Hainsworth, 2010). According to Hainsworth, (2010) the Canadian Bar Association has asked for national standards for legal aid, just like there are standards for health care and education. The CBA believes legal aid reform is needed to ensure access to justice for low income people, it also believes funding must be increased and national standards for eligibility and civil coverage are necessary to make the system function properly again.

A competing argument is that although expenses are high when it comes to legal aid, that is how it should be. For those that can afford justice deserve it. Wealthy families harbor the view that the legal aid agencies are provided with the tax payers dollar for those who cannot afford to be adequately represented and perhaps that if people are truly masters of teir fate that they would either have not been in such a situation or should have the means by which to solve it.

In 4 Ways to Fix a Broken Legal System Phillip K. Howard describes America as a land of once being free, now becoming a “legal minefield”. He focuses primarily on teachers and doctors, explaining ways in which their work is increasingly hindered due to fear of legal repercussions. While, Howard’s approach to fix these dilemma is simple and makes complete sense, it is nearly impossible to achieve in today’s America.

Detlor Paralegal Services will cater to three primary target clients. These clients are; landlords and property managers, victims of crime, and people who can afford to bring and defend lawsuits in Small Claims Court.

Since 1974 the Legal Services Corporation has worked to ensure access to legal assistance for low-income persons, and safeguard America's fundamental value of equal justice under the law. As the costs of legal services continue to rise and the justice gap-- wherein 80 percent of the civil legal need of low-income Americans goes unmet-- continues to widen, LSC remains the single largest funder of civil legal aid in the nation. Nevertheless, since 1981 the Heritage Foundation has called for the elimination of LSC in their Mandate for Leadership book series affirming the following arguments:

It is a late summer morning and without air conditioning the environment at the not-for-profit law center, Northern County Legal Services (NCLS), is reminiscent of an overcrowded Department of Motor Vehicle office. The center does not have a variety of comfortable places to sit as chairs were donated or purchased. The aesthetics of the center, the lack of efficiency, and the frustration of the volunteers surely sets a negative tone for the customers who are already frustrated due to their legal woes. Customers are there to receive assistance with domestic violence, employment, family or housing law. Tempers flare among surly but needy customers who often are forced to wait past their

Acting as a legal practitioner is considered a “great privilege” and “offers the opportunity to serve the community in a profoundly important way.” Lawyer’s roles as officers of the Court and administrators of justice give them a monopoly on the delivery of counselling and representation services. In order to “maintain their capacity to serve the community” , legal practitioners must accept that they are

This paper aims to explore the Legal Services Act 2007 and the impact the Act has had on the role of a Costs Lawyer since implementation.

The legal profession has been around for a long time, as it is one of the oldest information professions . The service it provides is essential, as it

Paralegals and Legal Assistants do various tasks to support a lawyer or attorney including organizing files, conducting legal research, and drafting numerous types of documentation in preparation for legal action to take place. Legal actions that take place are court hearings, trials, and corporate meetings.

• How would your friend’s theft be dealt with under the law in this country?

‘What kind of lawyer do I want to be’ is a very wide question open to a whole range of interpretations. Choosing to study Law at university almost certainly means becoming either a barrister or a solicitor will be the route to follow, but this choice as well as deciding whether to practice civil or criminal law is one which requires substantial thought. Having carried out work experience at my local Crown Court, and visited the Exeter Crown Court, it has impacted how I see my future. Additionally, my independent research coupled with seminar tasks in negotiation and advocacy have also helped to shape my decision. These experiences have brought to my attention a range of ethical concerns within the courtroom, however there are two issues in particular that have stood out. The first being cross-examination of vulnerable witnesses and defendants, for example, the elderly, rape victims, and children, and the second issue being legal aid and its impact. Learning about legal aid within the legal foundations course has opened my eyes to the struggle of the ‘ordinary person’ unable to obtain legal advice, and the significant, increasing divide between city firms advising corporate clients and the ‘high street firm’ advising the everyday citizen. Both of these issues have impacted on how I see my future as a lawyer.

The rule of law broadly requires; that all are equal before the law , that the government is subject to the law and must exercise its power according to the law, finally that ‘there exist fundamental individual liberties and minimum standards of justice, to which the law must conform’ . The rule of law is problematic to define but put simply it is not ‘the rule of men’ and is evident in societies with functioning judiciaries and a clear separation of powers such as New Zealand. It is one of several intrinsic attributes of our constitutional makeup and overall the Judiciary aid in ‘ensure[ing] that the rule of

Critically assess the different sources and characteristics of the English Legal System. To what extents have external influences affected its development.