Access to Justice Prize

Access to Justice Prize is sponsored by U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office for Access to Justice. This prize competition aims to foster innovative solutions to address critical gaps in access to justice across the United States, with an inaugural focus on challenges faced by rural communities.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF J USTICE – OFFICE FOR ACCESS TO J USTICE 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N. W. Suite 3340 • Washington, DC 20530 http://www.

justice. gov/atj • Telephone (202) 514 -5312 • Fax (202) 514 -5326 “Equal justice is a fundamental promise of American society – but for too many low-income Americans with critical legal needs, that promise goes unfulfilled. At the Department of Justice, we are committed to ensuring that every citizen receives the representation and the consideration that they deserve, regardless of their means.

The Constitution – and our national conscience – demands nothing less. ” Attorney General Loretta Lynch # OVERVIEW OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS Since its launch in 2010, the Office for Access to Justice (ATJ) has served as the catalyst within the Department of Justice to marshal the power and resources of the Federal Government to secure fair outcomes for all in the justice system.

ATJ works within the Department of Justice, across federal agencies, and with international, state, local, and tribal justice system stakeholders to increase access to counsel and legal assistance, and to improve the justice system that serves people who are unable to afford lawyers.

ATJ has accomplished much in this short time, including:  Developing a Robust Statement of Interest Practice: As part of its efforts toward protecting the constitutional guarantee to effective assistance of counsel and eliminating the criminalization of the poor, ATJ in partnership with the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division (CRT), has filed a series of Statements of Interest and amicus briefs .

 Launching & Staffing the White House Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable: Originally launched and staffed by ATJ as the Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable in 2012, this interagency collaboration works to raise federal agencies’ awareness of how civil legal aid can help advance a wide range of federal objectives including improved access to health and housing, education and employment, family stability and community well-being.

In recognition of this work and on the eve of the historic United Nations Summit on Sustainable Development, on September 24, 2015, President Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum formally establishing the White House Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable (WH-LAIR) to continue and further this work.

 Fighting the Criminalization of Poverty : When people are incarcerated simply because they are poor, they often lose their jobs, may lose their housing, or be forced to abandon their education. They and their families often sink deeper into poverty. ATJ has made it a priority to ensure that in our criminal justice system all people receive the equal protection of the law, regardless of their money or their means.

In March 2016, ATJ and the Civil Rights Division issued a Dear Colleague Letter to provide greater clarity to state and local courts regarding their legal obligations with respect to the enforcement of court fines and fees. > Office for Access to Justice •U.S. Department of Justice •http://www. justice.

gov/atj 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N. W. Suite 3340 •Washington, DC 20530 Telephone (202) 514-5312 •Fax (202) 514-5326 ## “Equal justice is a fundamental promise of American society – but for too many low-income Americans with critical legal needs, that promise goes unfulfilled.

At the Department of Justice, we are committed to ensuring that every citizen receives the representation and the consideration that they deserve, regardless of their means. The Constitution – and our national conscience – demands nothing less.

” ## ~ Attorney General Loretta Lynch # SIX-YEAR ANNIVERSARY ACCOMPLISHMENTS Since its launch in 2010, the Office for Access to Justice (ATJ) has served as the catalyst within the Department of Justice to marshal the power and resources of the Federal Government to secure fair outcomes for all in the justice system.

ATJ works within the Department of Justice, across federal agencies, and with state, local, and tribal justice system stakeholders to increase access to counsel and legal assistance, and to improve the justice system that serves people who are unable to afford lawyers.

March 2016 Page 2 In the criminal justice system, public defender offices are underfunded and understaffed, often so severely that they cannot hope to provide their clients with effective representation. For some indigent defenders, annual caseloads can range from 500 to 900 felony cases and over 2,000 misdemeanors, at least five to six times the recommended ceilings set by the National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice.

In some instances, jurisdictions have reported case load assignments to be so high that defenders average just seven minutes per case. Understaffing leads to lack of attention to individual clients’ cases, which in turn can lead to grave injustice, including wrongful convictions and unjust imprisonment.

A key priority of the Office for Access to Justice is working with national indigent-defense advocacy groups and public defenders from across the country to address the crisis in the provision of indigent legal defense.

To date, ATJ’s accomplishments in this area include: # • Supporting Development of Quality Indigent Defense Systems As part of its efforts toward protecting the constitutional guarantee to effective assistance of counsel, the Office for Access to Justice (ATJ), in partnership with the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division (CRT), has filed a series of Statements of Interest and amicus briefs: Wilbur v.

City of Mount Vernon: In 2013, ATJ and CRT filed a Statement of Interest in a class action lawsuit alleging that accused indigent defendants were systematically denied effective assistance of counsel.

The Statement of Interest took no position on the merits of the case but requested that if the United States District Court found constitutional violations, it consider as part of its remedy workload controls for public defense providers and the appointment of an independent monitor to ensure compliance.

On December 4, 2013, the district court found a systematic deprivation of the right to assistance of counsel and issued an injunction in favor of the plaintiffs that required the defendant cities to hire a part-time public defender supervisor tasked with monitoring and reporting on the delivery of indigent defense representation. Hurrell-Harring v.

State of New York: In 2014, ATJ and CRT filed a Statement of Interest to offer the Department’s views with respect to right to counsel. In this case, a class action pending before the Supreme Court of the State of New York, the plaintiffs alleged that, due to systemic failures in five New York counties, indigent criminal defendants had been constructively denied the right to counsel.

The plaintiffs claimed that a lack of funding deprived public defenders of the time, resources, and ability to prepare cases or meaningfully represent their clients and amounted to the denial of counsel. In its Statement, the Department advised the court that under-resourcing public defense systems may force even otherwise competent and well-intentioned public defenders into a position where they are, in effect, a lawyer in name only.

The case settled soon after the Department filed its Statement. March 2016 Page 3 N. P.

v. State of Georgia: In 2015, ATJ and CRT filed a Statement of Interest in Georgia state court addressing right to counsel concerns for juveniles. The class action asserted that the public defense system in the Cordele Judicial Circuit has been so underfunded and poorly staffed that juveniles are routinely denied their right to legal representation.

Based on legal precedent, the Department identified procedural safeguards that must be provided to children who appear in court. The Statement addressed the issue of waiver of counsel specifically and argued that that if a child decides to waive the right to an attorney, courts must ensure that the waiver is knowing, intelligent, and voluntary by requiring consultation with counsel before the court accepts the waiver.

The case settled less than a month after the Department filed its statement. Kuren, et al. v.

Luzerne County: In September 2015, ATJ and CRT filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in a class action lawsuit alleging that the public defense system in Luzerne County is so underfunded and poorly staffed that those accused of crimes are constructively denied their right to counsel under the Sixth Amendment.

According to the plaintiffs, public defenders in Luzerne County are unable to engage in many of the basic functions of representation, including conferring with clients in a meaningful way prior to critical stages of their legal proceedings, reviewing client files, conducting discovery, engaging in motion practice, conducting factual investigations or devoting the time necessary to prepare for court.

In its brief, the Department asserts that, “the Sixth Amendment right to counsel requires more than the mere appointment of a member of the bar.

” Further, the Statement also asserts that a civil action for prospective relief under the Sixth Amendment is viable when traditional markers of representation are systemically absent or compromised as a result of substantial structural limitations, “such as a severe lack of resources, unreasonably high workloads, or critical understaffing.

” After the passage of the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010 and then the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013, the provision of indigent defense services in tribal settings has been dramatically altered.

ATJ provides expertise to Tribes, Tribal Public Defender Offices, and federal partners on the right to counsel and encourages the development of alternatives to incarceration based on traditional practices: Special Domestic Violence Criminal Jurisdiction and Defendants’ Rights: In March 2013, President Obama signed into law the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, or "VAWA 2013".

VAWA 2013 recognizes tribes' inherent power to exercise "special domestic violence criminal jurisdiction" (SDVCJ) over certain defendants, regardless of their Indian or non-Indian status, who commit acts of domestic violence or dating violence or violate certain protection orders in Indian Country.

This new law generally took effect on March 7, 2015, but also authorized a voluntary "Pilot Project" to allow certain tribes to begin exercising SDVCJ sooner, if they could demonstrate to the Department that the rights of defendants are protected. The Office for Access to Justice was actively engaged in activities around the “Pilot Project” phase and provides defense-related expertise to the Department and interested Tribes.

March 2016 Page 4 Native American Traditional Justice Practices & Alternatives to Incarceration: ATJ and the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Office for Tribal Justice Support (OTJS) co-sponsored an expert group meeting in April 2013 on the use of traditional Native American justice practices to respond to criminal and delinquent behavior.

The one-day roundtable meeting brought together leaders and experts on the use of traditional justice practices to discuss the benefits and challenges of these programs and developed recommendations to the Federal Government on how to support these practices. Both offices participated in a listening session at a peacemaking gathering hosted by the Chickasaw Nation in April 2014.

A report summarizing the expert group’s discussions and recommendations was disseminated to tribal criminal justice stakeholders in furtherance of the Tribal Law and Order Act’s mandate that both Departments help tribes develop alternatives to incarceration. ATJ also supports the development of international guidelines and best practices on indigent defense.

Through this activity, ATJ helps to ensure that U.S. best practices are shared on the global stage and international best practices are identified for potential transfer to the United States.

United Nations: ATJ staff served on the U.S. delegation to the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (UN Crime Commission) to assist with negotiating a resolution which supported the United Nations Principles and Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice Systems —the first international principles and guidelines on indigent defense.

On December 20, 2012, the General Assembly adopted the United Nations Principles and Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice Systems (A/RES/67/187) and the United States was one of 16 co-sponsors of the UN Crime Commission resolution that first adopted the document in April 2012.

ATJ has continued to participate in activity to support the implementation of the principles and guidelines, including the follow-up international conference on criminal legal aid in Johannesburg, South Africa in June 2014, by participating in an expert working group on the development of a UN Model Law on Criminal Legal Aid, and by participating in the planning of the second international conference on the topic in Buenos Aires, Argentina in the fall of 2016.

# • Assisting with the Creation and Development of Federal Resources to Support Indigent Defense Providers ATJ works with the Department's Office of Justice Programs (OJP) to develop and support grant programs, training, and technical assistance for indigent defense providers: BJA’s National Consortium on the Right to Counsel: ATJ assisted the Bureau of Justice Assistance in launching the new National Consortium on the Right to Counsel.

Modeled after the successful Pretrial Justice Working Group, which BJA began funding in 2011, the Right to Counsel Consortium brings together representatives from all corners of the criminal justice system—prosecutors, judges, probation, police, defenders and policymakers—in support of more robust public defense services at the state and local March 2016 Page 5 level.

After careful planning, the Consortium convened its inaugural meeting in November 2011 and featured remarks by ATJ staff. BJA Solicitations: ATJ worked with the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to develop a $3. 2 million grant program over two years to help jurisdictions implement one or more of the ABA Ten Principles of a Public Defense Delivery System.

The purpose of the “ Answering Gideon’s Call: Improving Indigent Defense Delivery Systems ” grant initiative is to contribute to indigent defense practice and knowledge by implementing and testing approaches to providing quality indigent defense services using the Ten Principles.

After receiving an impressive number of qualified applications, BJA awarded grants to four agencies in Texas, Delaware, Massachusetts, and Michigan in Fall, 2012. Each grantee is partnered with a research organization in order to track outcomes. In 2013, five new grants totaling $4.

5 million were awarded for training and technical assistance to cover trial advocacy training, pretrial advocacy, a comprehensive national study of public defender services, and state reform work in Mississippi, Utah, and elsewhere. ATJ also worked with BJA in 2015 to develop a Smart Defense Initiative as part of BJA’s “Smart Suite” of criminal justice programs.

The purpose of this program is to improve the quality of public defense delivery systems guided by the Ten Principles. BJA estimates that it will make up to five awards of up to $400,000 each for a 24-month project period, beginning on October 1, 2015.

With BJA and the National Criminal Justice Association, ATJ has also conducted a series of webinars to highlight the DOJ’s ongoing work to encourage jurisdictions to bring together all system stakeholders in criminal justice planning conversations, and to showcase strategies for integrating indigent defense and other functions into criminal justice resource planning.

NIJ-Supported Research : In January 2011, ATJ and the National Institute of Justice’s International Center (NIJ) co-sponsored an Expert Working Group on International Perspectives on Indigent Defense. The workshop identified domestic and international best practices for representing low-income defendants and devised a research agenda on indigent defense.

A report summarizing the workshop and the expert working group’s recommendations – Expert Working Group Report: International Perspectives on Indigent Defense – was issued in September 2011, which helped inform NIJ’s Solicitation for Social March 2016 Page 6 Science Research on Indigent Defense issued on February 23, 2012. In Fall, 2012, NIJ announced $1.

5 million in grants to fund three research projects that are currently underway: (1) an evaluation of holistic defense methods; (2) an evaluation of the factors that affect juveniles’ waiver of counsel; and (3) an examination of the challenges of representing indigent defendants with mental health disorders. In FY 2015, NIJ organized another research workshop on indigent defense.

Tribal Court Trial Advocacy Training Program: With the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Office of Justice Services (OJS) and OTJS, ATJ helped to launch the Tribal Court Trial Advocacy Training program. This three-day trial advocacy course is designed to improve the trial skills of judges, public defenders, and prosecutors who appear in tribal courts.

Trainings have been held in Rapid City, SD; Phoenix, AZ; Duluth, MN; Ignacio, CO. ; Great Falls, MT; Chinle, Navajo Nation, AZ; Seattle, WA; Albuquerque, NM; Flagstaff, AZ; Missoula, MT; Grand Forks, ND; Reno, NV; and Philadelphia, MS, and additional trainings are being scheduled for the coming year.

All trainings are free and are staffed by attorneys from ATJ, Assistant United States Attorneys who practice in Indian Country, the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys’ Native American Issues Coordinator, Assistant Federal Public Defenders, and tribal prosecutors, public defenders, and judges.

# Criminalization of Poverty Over fifty years ago, former Attorney General Robert Kennedy observed that “the rich man and the poor man do not receive equal justice in our courts. ” Today, in far too many places in the United States, too many people are in jail simply because they are poor. As Attorney General Loretta Lynch explained, “the consequences of the criminalization of poverty are not only harmful, but they are so far-reaching.

” When people are incarcerated simply because they are poor, they often lose their jobs, may lose their housing, or be forced to abandon their education. They and their families often sink deeper into poverty. The Office for Access to Justice has made it a priority to ensure that in our criminal justice system all people receive the equal protection of the law, regardless of their money or their means.

# • Supporting Bail Reform Efforts > Varden v. City of Clanton: In 2015, ATJ and CRT filed a Statement of Interest in a suit alleging that incarcerating individuals solely because of their inability to pay a cash bond violates the U.S. Constitution.

The Statement evaluated the constitutionality of fixed-money bail practices and asserted that any bail or bond scheme that mandates payment of pre-fixed amounts for different offenses in order to gain pre-trial release, without regard for indigence, not only violates the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, but also constitutes poor public policy.

The filing advocated that courts make an individualized assessment of each defendant to determine whether the defendant is a threat to public safety or a flight risk, and argued that pretrial detention should be based on an objective evaluation of these factors, not on the defendant’s ability to pay. The case subsequently settled. March 2016 Page 7 # • Supporting Efforts to Prevent Criminalization of Homelessness Bell v.

City of Boise: In August 2015, ATJ and CRT filed a Statement of Interest in federal court in Idaho addressing the criminalization of homelessness. The case was brought by homeless plaintiffs who were convicted under Boise ordinances that criminalize sleeping or camping in public.

The Department’s Statement of Interest argued that the enforcement of the city of Boise ordinances prohibiting sleeping or camping in public outdoor places, on nights when there is insufficient shelter space in Boise to accommodate the homeless population, amounts to cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment.

The Department stated in the brief that “[i]t should be uncontroversial that punishing conduct that is a universal and unavoidable consequence of being human violates the Eighth Amendment . . .

Sleeping is a life-sustaining activity— i.e. , it must occur at some time in some place. If a person literally has nowhere else to go, then enforcement of the anti-camping ordinance against that person criminalizes her for being homeless.

” # • Supporting Efforts to Reform the Use & Abuse of Fees and Fines in State and Local Courts White House/DOJ Convening on Fees, Fines and the “Price” of Justice : Together with the Department’s Civil Rights Division and Office of Justice Programs, as well as the White House Domestic Policy Council, ATJ held a two-day convening on the use and abuse of fees and fines, money bail practices, and the increasing criminalization of poverty in our nation’s courts.

The first day, held at the Justice Department, highlighted successful reform efforts by advocates, courts and policymakers and expressly solicited input on how DOJ can assist in those efforts. The second day, held at the White House, featured remarks by senior White House officials and Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who emphasized that there can be “no price tag on justice.

” Dear Colleague Letter: In March 2016, ATJ and the Civil Rights Division issued a Dear Colleague Letter to provide greater clarity to state and local courts regarding their legal obligations with respect to the enforcement of court fines and fees.

The letter addresses some of the most common practices that run afoul of the U.S. Constitution and/or other federal laws, such as incarcerating individuals for nonpayment without determining their ability to pay.

The letter also discusses the importance of due process protections such as notice and, in appropriate cases, the right to counsel; the need to avoid unconstitutional bail practices; and due process concerns raised by certain private probation arrangements.

In addition to the Dear Colleague Letter, the Department announced additional resources to assist state and local efforts to reform harmful and unlawful practices in certain jurisdictions related to the assessment and enforcement of fines and fees, including $2.

5 million in competitive grants from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, support for the National Task Force on Fines, Fees and Bail Practices, which is led by the Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators, and a Resource Guide assembled by the Office of Justice Programs Diagnostic Center, which provides issue studies and other publications related to the assessment and enforcement of court fines and fees.

March 2016 Page 8 The majority of Americans who come to court do so without a lawyer, left by their economic circumstances to face life-altering events — such as losing their home, the custody of their children, or even the privilege to reside in the United States — without legal assistance.

More than 50 million Americans technically qualify for federally funded legal assistance, but over half of those who actually seek such assistance are turned away because available funding is so low. Similarly, for those living just above the qualifying line, even basic legal needs are beyond reach.

There continues to be a substantial “justice gap” between truly meeting the needs of low- and moderate-income people and the resources available for civil legal services.

# Advancing Federal Objectives through Partnerships with Civil Legal Aid ATJ works across the Executive Branch to advance Federal priorities through partnerships with legal aid, including through the development of new and existing grant programs, research, training, and technical assistance for legal aid providers: White House Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable: In 2012, the White House Domestic Policy Council and the U.S. Department of Justice launched the Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable to raise federal agencies’ awareness of how civil legal aid can help advance a wide range of federal objectives including improved access to health and housing, education and employment, family stability and community well-being.

The Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable’s message included that providing legal assistance to people who cannot afford it can also have substantial economic benefits by preventing outcomes that are harmful to them and expensive for the communities.

In recognition of the work of the Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable, on the eve of the historic United Nations Summit on Sustainable Development, on September 24, 2015, President Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum establishing the White House Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable (WH-LAIR) to continue and further this work.

The WH-LAIR brings together 21 participating federal agencies to inspire new collaborations to serve the Nation’s poor and middle class and to better engage civil legal aid providers as federal grantees, sub-grantees, and partners.

Accomplishments include: o More than two dozen grants involving reentry, access to health care, citizenship, homeless veterans, and other federal priorities, have been clarified to allow legal services that further program goals; o More than two dozen webinars and other presentations to federal grantees, the civil legal aid community, and federal agency staff about how legal aid advances federal priorities; o New training and technical assistance opportunities; March 2016 Page 9 o New research about civil legal aid and a WH-LAIR workshop on the topic with summary report issued in February 2016; o Launch of WH-LAIR website and WH-LAIR Toolkit, an online resource guide containing useful information about civil legal services, and how those services can help advance a broad array of federal objectives; o The 2014 Government Service Award from the National Legal Aid & Defender Association.

Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA): In Fall 2010, the National Association of IOLTA Programs asked DOJ to support legislation to ensure continued unlimited FDIC insurance coverage for state IOLTA, due to an oversight in the drafting of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street and Consumer Protections Act.

ATJ worked with DOJ’s Office of Legislative Affairs to secure Department support for legislation to continue full FDIC protection for IOLTA accounts, and with Congressional leadership and staff to adopt the legislative fix.

Notario Fraud Task Force: ATJ has been involved in an intra-agency task force with other DOJ components to address the unauthorized practice of law in the immigration context (commonly referred to as “notario” fraud). The Notario Fraud Task Force is committed to developing educational materials so that those seeking immigration assistance do not fall victim to notarios and are able to identify legitimate representation.

ATJ’s primary focus in this effort has been increasing the availability of free and low-cost legal assistance for fraud victims through helping to organize a series of lawyer trainings and free legal clinics. ATJ has also participated in webinars focused on notario fraud issues.

Unaccompanied Immigrant Children : In 2014, ATJ helped launch the “ justice AmeriCorps ”program— a partnership between the Department and the Corporation for National and Community Service— to place lawyers and paralegals with organizations providing counsel to certain unaccompanied immigrant children.

AmeriCorps VISTA: To encourage use of AmeriCorps VISTA, the Federal Government’s national service program designed to fight poverty, by the legal services community, ATJ and the Corporation for National and Community Service, drafted A Guide to the AmeriCorps VISTA Program for Legal Services Organizations .

Hague Child Abduction Convention Guidance: ATJ supports efforts to ensure that foreign parents of abducted children, regardless of their income, have access to legal services in the United States in cases brought under the Hague Convention on Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.

In December 2011, the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), in consultation with the Department of State and ATJ, developed guidance clarifying that LSC grantees have the authority to represent indigent foreign nationals in these cases brought in United States courts for the return of, or access to, their children.

March 2016 Page 10 Academic/Practitioner Partnerships: ATJ is working to support research about civil legal aid through a series of efforts: collaborating with the Stanford Center on the Legal Profession, the Harvard Program on the Legal Profession, and the American Bar Foundation on a 2011 roundtable forum about enhancing the role of legal scholars and teachers in closing the justice gap in America; hosting a series of meetings leading to a successful National Science Foundation (NSF) grant application by the American Bar Foundation for a December 2012 workshop to develop a broad research agenda and plan for a sustainable infrastructure to support the research; supporting a follow-up workshop for academic/practitioner teams with concrete research proposals, leading to at least 4 successful NSF grant applications; supporting a FY 2015 and FY 2016 $2.

7 million request in the President’s budget for civil legal aid research; and a May 2015 convening on civil legal aid research hosted by NIJ, ATJ, and NSF.

ATJ advances access to legal services in high-stakes civil proceedings: Foreclosure Mediation: ATJ worked to increase access to foreclosure mediation programs for the millions of American households at risk of losing their homes by promoting best practices and effective research models, and by helping inform the national conversation on how the historic foreclosure settlement funds can support foreclosure mediation, legal assistance, and housing counseling.

ATJ hosted several national-level convenings and briefings on effective foreclosure mediation strategies, and published two white papers: “Emerging Strategies for Effective Foreclosure Mediation Programs ,” and “ Foreclosure Mediation: Emerging Research and Evaluation Practices .

” ATJ, along with the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Housing Counseling Program, also hosted a briefing call for State Attorneys General to discuss the presence of and need for foreclosure mediation, legal assistance, and housing counseling resources in their states, and how settlement funds might support these activities.

9/11 Victim Compensation Fund: ATJ worked with other DOJ components, the New York City Bar, law schools throughout the New York region, the private bar, and advocacy organizations to help make sure that potential claimants for the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, including first responders and those who participated in the cleanup, could easily understand their rights and secure needed assistance.

The website for filing claims was translated into Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, and Polish. Legal clinics were set up at law schools in the New York area to offer free assistance to individuals in filing their claims.

Gulf Coast Claims Facility: ATJ worked with the Associate Attorney General’s office to be sure that those affected by the BP oil spill received clear explanations of the legal right to compensation and that the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (GCCF) provided for free legal assistance to individuals and businesses submitting claims to the GCCF.

Ultimately, the GCCF recommended that practice be adopted by claims facilities addressing losses from future catastrophic events.

March 2016 Page 11 # • Supporting the Pro Bono Bar Working with the Department’s Pro Bono Program, ATJ supported the revision of the Department’s pro bono policy reissued in October 2014 that allows all DOJ employees up to 30 hours of administrative leave for pro bono work, such as court appearances and mediations that take place during business hours.

• Establishing and Strengthening Access to Justice Commissions Judicial Support for Commissions: In July 2010, Senior Counselor Laurence Tribe gave keynote remarks at the Annual Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ) that included a charge to establish statewide Access to Justice Commissions in all states that lack a Commission, an entity that he described as “one of the most important justice-related developments in