“And Justice For All” Receives Prestigious Award
The American College of Trial Lawyers presented its 2008 Emil Gumpert Award to “And Justice For All” for its truly unique program. This prestigious award, consisting of a $50,000 grant, recognizes programs whose principal purpose is to maintain and improve the administration of justice. The Gumpert Award recognizes the incredible leadership of Utah’s legal community that led to the success of And Justice For All. During the past decade, the number of disadvantaged Utahns helped by the participating programs has increased from 16,280 in 1998 to more than 34,000 last year. According to the American College of Trial Lawyers:
This extraordinary organization is a collaboration of Utah’s three primary providers of legal aid, all committed to identification of issues related to increasing access to justice for the disadvantaged. With a goal of developing a web-based legal clinic program, access to legal services will be provided to low-income individuals in rural areas through “one-stop” shopping.
And Justice For All is a collaborative effort of Utah Legal Services, the Disability Law Center, and Legal Aid Society of Salt Lake and is supported in large part by the generous annual donations of Utah lawyers. Together these agencies address a range of substantive issues including domestic violence, domestic relations, elder law, consumer law, disability rights, discrimination, housing, immigration, migrant workers, Native American law, and public benefits.
The Gumpert Award will fund eight web-based legal clinics to increase access for disadvantaged individuals in rural areas of the state. Last year, low-income households in Utah faced more than 80,000 civil legal problems without any legal help. This problem is particularly acute in the more isolated areas of the state. The first three test sites will be located in Beaver, Richfield, and the Uintah Basin and are expected to be operational by the end of November.
Currently, low-income clients in Utah must access services via the telephone or at the limited number of clinics. Rural residents are at a disadvantage. The telephone has significant limitations for clients, and rural clinics are costly, often requiring an advocate to drive up to five hours each way. Web-based clinics will increase client communications and comprehension and save money by reducing travel time and travel costs.
The American College of Trial Lawyers is an invitation-only organization composed of the best of the trial bar from the United States and Canada. Founded in 1950, the College is dedicated to maintaining and improving the standards of trial practice, the administration of justice and the ethics of the profession. The Gumpert Award is an important part of that effort.