Cliché, anyone?

• Author: Day R. Williams
• Pages: 8-8

ABA JOURNAL | APRIL–MAY 2020

8

Letters From Our Readers

Letters to the Editor

You may submit a letter by email

to abajournal@americanbar.org or

via mail: Attn: Letters, ABA Journal,

321 N. Clark St. Chicago, IL 60654.

Letters must concern articles pub-

lished in the Journal. They may be

edited for clarity or space. Be sure

to include your name, city and state,

and email address.

Help for tracking survivors

As lead attorney for the Moore & Van

Allen Human Trafcking Pro Bono

Project in Charlotte, North Caroli-

na, I am proud of our long-standing

commitment to provide free legal

representation to survivors of sex and

labor trafcking. The rm launched

the project in 2013, and to date it has

represented survivors in more than

200 matters. Much of our work has

included analyzing survivors’ eligibility

for expunction or vacatur of criminal

records often incurred during the period

of victimization. Our experience has

taught us how post-conviction relief for

human trafcking survivors is vital to

their independence. Records of convic-

tions and even dismissed charges limit

survivors’ access to jobs, housing and

other stabilizing opportunities, thereby

increasing their risk of revictimization.

With regard to “Finding Relief,” Feb-

ruary-March, page 16, those of us who

provide legal aid related to post-con-

viction relief for human trafcking

survivors are enormously grateful to the

ABA for focusing on this issue.

However, we were disappointed to

see that the signicant and on-point

legislative success achieved in North

Carolina this past year was not noted in

the article. In July 2019, the North Car-

olina governor signed into law House

Bill 198, which passed unanimously in

both chambers of our general assembly.

Among other things, House Bill 198 ex-

panded the grounds and streamlined the

process for human trafcking victims

to expunge or vacate convictions for

nonviolent crimes that were committed

as a direct result of the individual being

a victim of human trafcking. Before

this law, only prostitution offenses were

eligible for such relief under the statute.

Additionally, it created a civil cause of

action for victims to recover damages

from individuals who trafcked them or

nancially beneted from the trafcking

activity.

The bill charted a path to reverse un-

just but common criminalization, which

will help to restore and heal survivors.

The North Carolina law now better

reects and addresses the trafcking vic-

tim experience. This legislative change

was presumably the type that the ABA

intended to recognize and inspire in the

article.

The legal community applauds the

ABA’s attention to this issue. However,

inclusion of North Carolina’s notewor-

thy success in future coverage may lead

to more progress and therefore better

support for survivors in their pursuit of

justice.

Sarah Dohoney Byrne

Charlotte, North Carolina

Cliché, anyone?

The ABA Journal regularly features the

best legal writing teacher on the planet,

Bryan A. Garner, who champions

writing that is refreshing. Yet in “Reel

Justice,” February-March, page 25, you

have the subhead “Just the tip of the

iceberg.”

Reading that phrase puts a bee in

my bonnet and gives me a bone to pick

with you. Haven’t writers beat that

horse so dead that nothing is left, not

even bones? Didn’t that train already

leave town? That cliché goes over like

a lead balloon. Maybe someone was

asleep at the wheel. Anyway, all’s well

that ends well.

Day R. Williams

Carson City, Nevada

Too many social justice stories

Just reviewed the February-March issue.

Stultifying. Pure boredom. The most

interesting content was found in the

“Letters from Our Readers,” page 8.

Well, I’d also include the ethics article,

“Legal Malpractice in Criminal Cases,”

page 28, by David L. Hudson Jr. Some

interesting points in that piece.

Really? The journal for the national

attorney organization can’t put out a

magazine with most of the articles on

topics that are of interest to practic-

ing attorneys? As opposed to endless

articles on social justice activities? I’m

all for social justice, however dened,

but one or two stories would likely be

sufcient. My local bar association does

a better job.

Matthew M. Kremer

San Diego

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