The right to a lawyer shouldn't depend on the balance of your bank account. For many women, legal aid is the only bridge to a restraining order, a fair custody agreement, or the chance to rebuild a life from scratch.
A fast-talking Minneapolis native who still lives in the Twin Cities part time, Cook is one of a handful of attorneys who have dropped everything to aid (for free) those caught up in the federal crackdown - protesters, immigrants and detained citizens - too many of whom have found themselves facing deportation, arrest or even been disappeared, at least for a time.
In the summer of 2020, I was working as a paralegal in Austin, Texas, remotely filling out asylum applications for migrants who were trapped in a dangerous limbo. A landmark policy of the first Trump administration-euphemistically called the "Migrant Protection Protocols," or MPP-was keeping tens of thousands of immigrants stateless and often homeless in Mexico's border regions while their asylum cases were adjudicated in U.S. border courts.
Sean McGovern, who was extradited from the United Arab Emirates last summer to face charges of murder and directing a criminal organisation, has been granted legal aid to cover a team of four barristers by the Special Criminal Court.
In July, the High Court granted Patrick Lawlor and his wife, Leonie, free legal aid to challenge Cab's case against them A convicted bagman for an organised crime gang has asked the High Court for more free legal aid in order to have a quantity surveyor value his home as he fights a Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab) bid to seize the property.
Illinois has launched a first-of-its-kind legal hotline that provides resources for the LGBTQ+ community at a time when they face increased hostility across the US. Legal services in the US can be costly and inaccessible, and the creation of the phone line is aimed at helping LGBTQ+ people access them despite other federal cuts that may affect them. This hotline is a groundbreaking opportunity to receive free, affirming legal support from the comfort
Hetticia and Vanderbilt McIntosh had their UK status revoked in the 1970s and 1980s, through no fault of their own. The married parents of three were forced to start again in St Lucia, more than 4,000 miles away.
The tentative agreement between the Legal Aid Society and the attorneys' union comes after negotiations to ensure that 1,100 public interest attorneys will remain employed before a strike deadline.
"It's not just about how much our members make. It's not just about their caseloads. It's about justice for all New Yorkers who deserve high quality representation." - Brandon Mancilla.
