Vol. 32, No. 1, 10. The Importance of Quality in Legal Aid.

• Author: By Helaine M. Barnett

Wyoming Bar Journal

2009.

Vol. 32, No. 1, 10.

The Importance of Quality in Legal Aid

Wyoming Lawyer Issue: February, 2009 The Importance of Quality in Legal Aid By Helaine M. Barnett

As lawyers and judges, we take pride in our dedication to equal access to justice and draw strength from knowing that Americans cherish the ideal of equal justice under law. The decision by the Wyoming Supreme Court to establish an Access to Justice Commission reaffirms its commitment to the ideal of equal access to justice and represents an important step for the state of Wyoming and for the national effort to ensure the poor have an opportunity to secure basic human needs, such as safe and habitable housing, medical care and protection from domestic violence.

The chief justice and justices of the Wyoming Supreme Court, other state and federal judges, leaders of the Wyoming State Bar and the Wyoming legal community have sent a powerful signal about the importance of the availability of high-quality civil legal services to low-income individuals and families in Wyoming. Across the nation, the creation of Access to Justice Commissions has energized efforts to increase funding and pro bono support for legal aid. In Wyoming, the Commission's creation and future actions will enhance the provision of civil legal aid. This crucial undertaking by the state's legal community is applauded and appreciated.

From lessons learned in other states, we know that when judges make access to justice a priority, legislators, lawyers, corporate leaders and others often significantly increase their commitment to helping meet the civil legal needs of the poor and strive to make justice available to all, rather than to just those who can afford to pay for it.

What is Quality Legal Assistance?

Legal aid clients are among the most vulnerable in the nation--women seeking protection from abuse, mothers trying to obtain child support, families facing unlawful evictions or foreclosures that could leave them homeless, and senior citizens, veterans and others trying to obtain federal benefits for which they qualify. Quality legal assistance is vital to ensuring that civil legal aid makes a difference in the lives of the people who seek help.

But what is quality legal assistance? What does quality mean in the demanding, often stressful environment of a legal aid program...