April 2023 - LEGAL S.O.S

30Apr 2023 by Charles E. Price

More efforts needed to ensure legal aid for the poor

THIS is concerning that poor prisoners suffer greatly in accessing justice. Although the government and some non-governmental organizations have provided legal aid services for a long time, many poor prisoners do not receive legal aid because of a number of issues and complications; and, they keep languishing in prisons without trial. The government in 2000 introduced the Legal Aid Services Act 2000 'to provide for legal aid to the litigants who are incapable of seeking justice due to financial insolvency, destitution, helplessness and for various socioeconomic conditions.' The government later established the National Legal Aid Services Organization, which is reported to have provided legal assistance for 3.53 lakh people since its establishment in 2009. The government has also established legal aid offices in all the 64 districts to offer legal…

29Apr 2023 by Charles E. Price

Aboriginal legal services frozen or at risk of shutting down in 17 communities across NSW and Queensland | Indigenous Australians

LEGAL

Four communities in Queensland have had their Aboriginal legal services frozen and more than a dozen communities in New South Wales are at risk of losing theirs, prompting calls for urgent funding from the commonwealth government to help First Nations clients.Karly Warner, the chair of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services national peak body NATSILS, said communities are now at risk of not being able to access culturally safe legal services and lead to a worsening crisis of Indigenous incarceration.“There is no point sugar-coating this situation – it could result in far worse outcomes for people and families,” said Warner, who is also the chief executive of Aboriginal Legal Services in New South Wales and ACT.“We know that when culturally safe legal support isn't available, the result is more…

26Apr 2023 by Charles E. Price

IBP rolls out pro bono legal aid via web portal

LEGAL

By Rey E. Requejo The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) has launched its Pro Bono Portal (PBP) where indigent litigants nationwide can now avail themselves of free legal services online through the IBP's “web-based legal aid platform.” In its advisory, the IBP said its lawyers and legal aids nationwide have started their training. “To avail legal aid services, a potential client can apply for legal assistance through the PBP which can be easily searched by typing 'IBP pro bono portal' or 'IBP free legal aid,'” the IBP stressed. "The system then sends the application to the IBP Chapter concerned which can filter out the application and assign it to the member," he said. It also said the other important features of the PBP include "the integration of the means…

25Apr 2023 by Charles E. Price

Brooklyn woman, Legal Aid Society calls for better tenant protections

LEGAL

Apr 21, 2023, 12:34amUpdated 4d agoAn East New York woman is in jeopardy of losing her home, and she and members of the Legal Aid Society are calling on Albany to put protections in place for tenants to not be victimized without good cause. The apartment has been home to Camey King for over a decade, and she received an eviction notice in March to vacate her apartment. She says her rent payments are on time, and that she only recently learned her home had a new landlord. The Legal Aid Society told News 12 that the home King lives in went into foreclosure back in 2016. According to a report filed in the foreclosure case, the new owner, SKZF 737 Mazel LLC, had purchased the property at 737 Alabama…

24Apr 2023 by Charles E. Price

International report explores community legal services for better access to justice

LEGAL

Examples of what community-based justice can include. credits: Exploring Community-Based Services, Costs and Benefits for People-Centered Justice (2023). Community legal clinics, paralegal services, social workers and others assisting those who cannot easily access legal help, are several ways of narrowing the gap in accessing justice that's prevalent across the globe, says York University legal expert Professor Trevor Farrow, co-author of a new international report released today. The report, Exploring Community-Based Services, Costs and Benefits for People-Centered Justice, is a review of recent studies conducted by researchers in Kenya, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Canada, to understand how effective grassroots support systems are in alleviating, if not eliminating, barriers to justice. The research is part of the Community-Based Justice Research (CBJR) project. The Canadian Forum on Civil Justice (CFCJ), based at…

17Apr 2023 by Charles E. Price

Alaska Senate bill proposes more legal aid for domestic violence victims, others seeking help

LEGAL

The front of the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau is seen on Wednesday, April 12, 2023. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon) An overloaded nonprofit that provides free legal help would be able to serve more Alaskans in need if legislation proposed by Sen. Forrest Dunbar, D-Anchorage, becomes law. Senate Bill 104, discussed by the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday, would direct 25% of the Alaska Court System's filing fees to the Alaska Legal Services Corporation, up from 10% in an existing state law. Dunbar, a licensed attorney, formerly worked for the agency on a variety of cases. “They provide absolutely crucial legal services, free legal services, to those who can't afford them. Things like family law, landlord-tenant (disputes); they are also the state's largest provider of free legal services to…

16Apr 2023 by Charles E. Price

Palestinian Authority blocks registration of legal aid group

LEGAL

The Palestinian Authority has blocked the registration of a legal advocacy group representing critics and opponents detained in Palestinian jails, a move condemned as the authority's latest effort to stifle civil society in the occupied West BankJERUSALEM -- The Palestinian Authority has blocked the registration of a legal advocacy group representing critics and opponents detained in Palestinian prisons, the group said Friday, a move condemned as the authority's latest effort to stifle civil society in the occupied West Bank. Without proper registration, the group, Lawyers for Justice, could lose access to its funds and be forced to close. The organization was told it had violated the law by engaging in non-profit work and accepting foreign aid despite being registered as a "civil corporation," said director Mohannad Karaje. Palestinian security forces…

15Apr 2023 by Charles E. Price

Google, Intel, others launch first policy group representing hackers

LEGAL

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/AxiosSecurity researchers have a new set of allies in Washington to help defend against potential legal battles over the flaws they uncover.Driving the news: A group of tech companies, security vendors and nonprofits unveiled two new Google-backed initiatives Thursday aimed at protecting "good faith" security researchers from legal threats and giving them a voice in policy discussions. Google, Intel, Luta Security, HackerOne, BugCrowd and Intigriti have formed the Hacking Policy Councila policy group that will advocate worldwide for laws and regulations that promote best practices for disclosure vulnerability. Google also provided an unspecified amount of seed funding to stand up to the Security Research Legal Defense Fundwhich will provide monetary aid to researchers who face legal threats after reporting a flaw to a company.The big picture: Security researchers…

11Apr 2023 by Charles E. Price

US legal jobs decline for the first time in six months

LEGAL

(Reuters) - The US legal services sector lost 600 jobs in March, new Labor Department figures showed on Friday, marking the first monthly employment decline for the industry since September.Legal sector jobs totaled 1,180,900 last month, according to preliminary seasonally adjusted data released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The count includes lawyers, paralegals and other legal professionals.Across US industries, the economy continued to add jobs in March, pushing the unemployment rate down to 3.5%. The continued tightness of the labor market could lead to the Federal Reserve hiking interest rates again next month.Legal employment has declined by 7,000 jobs since reaching an historic high in July, Labor Department statistics show. US law firms bulked up in 2021 and 2022 to take advantage of an unusually high client demand…

10Apr 2023 by Charles E. Price

The state is nearing settlement with ACLU over indigenous legal services

LEGAL

Maine's public defense agency for the poor and the ACLU are nearing a settlement on a plan to improve legal representation for criminal defendants, lawyers for both sides told the court Friday, though state budget decisions over the next few months may change the final outcome.Carol Garvan, legal director of the ACLU of Maine, and a lawyer for the state both said they are making progress on a multi-year agreement. Details of the proposed settlement are confidential. “We are well into the details of a settlement,” Assistant Attorney General Sean Magenis told the court Friday. Still unknown are the budget and statutory changes that state lawmakers could pass this year that may affect the settlement. Decisions such as to hire public defenders or adjust the mission of the Maine Commission…

Month: April 2023