legal aid research facility

Legal Aid Research

National legal aid & defender association.

Access to Justice in the Age of COVID-19, LAIR Report 10.19.2021

By NLADA on June 15, 2022 • ( 0 )

The Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable (LAIR) was reinvigorated and recommissioned by the Biden administration and reflects the national commitment to the government’s leadership role and responsibility to advance access to justice through the power of the Executive Branch.  Through research,… Read More ›

This site allows you to access research on civil legal aid in one location. To sort through research categorized by practice area, population served, and more, click through the menu above. If you have research you would like to include on this site, email us at [email protected] .

NLADA wishes to thank the Public Welfare Foundation and the Kresge Foundation for their generous support to help create this site.

Elsewhere on the Web

• The Justice in Government Project’s Toolkit helps bridge the gap between what researchers can tell us and what policymakers need to know about how legal aid can both help individuals and make existing programs more effective.
• Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable’s Toolkit shows how and why legal aid protects consumers, keeps America working, prevents elder abuse, and more.
• The National Center for Access to Justice’s Justice Index offers in-depth state-by-state comparisons and advanced interactive maps.

The Value of Research

“In the long run, legal aid program’s investment in randomized study will not only improve services and help direct scarce resources, but will also build public support, because the willingness of the legal aid movement to question itself and change in response will demonstrate to the wider world that our work is, in the end, focused on doing the best we can to help very poor people, in often-desperate circumstances, to improve their lives.” Steven Eppler-Epstein, Executive Director of Connecticut Legal Services in Harvard Law Review

Copyright NLADA. For more information, see Copyright and Terms of Use above

• Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
• Subscribe Subscribed
• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• View post in Reader
• Manage subscriptions
• Collapse this bar

Our services

• Criminal legal issues
• Domestic violence
• Family legal issues
• Mental health legal issues
• Refugee and immigration legal issues
• Youth legal issues
• Legal clinics
• How to apply
• Finding the right legal aid lawyer
• What do you think about our services?
• Temporary service changes due to COVID-19
• COVID-19 and the courts: Answers to frequently asked questions
• COVID-19: Ongoing list of supports for lawyers
• LASA 2020 process updates for lawyers
• Changes to policies and certificate coverage
• Audit & Compliance
• Case management
• Forms library
• Legal Aid Services Act, 2020 policies
• Legal Aid Online
• Minimum experience requirements
• More resources
• Do legal aid work
• Test case funding
• News for lawyers
• B3: Better billing bulletin
• Contacts for lawyers
• Duty Counsel Day
• Our clients
• Board of Directors
• Executive Team
• Board Advisory Committees
• French Language Services
• LASA 2020 Rules and Policies
• LASA 2020 glossary
• Consultations
• LAO Consultation Registry
• Open Government
• Publications
• Sidney B. Linden Access to Justice Award
• Social media

Login to LAO LAW at research.legalaid.on.ca

LAO LAW provides high quality research services to lawyers acting for legally aided clients (duty counsel, staff lawyers or private bar lawyers acting on a legal aid certificate).

LAO LAW provides information on the following areas of law:

• Indigenous legal issues
• Correctional law
• Criminal law
• Immigration and refugee law
• Mental health law

Who can use LAO LAW?

• Duty counsel and staff lawyers
• Private bar lawyers acting on a legal aid certificate. They must be on the legal aid roster.

LAO LAW Website

Legal aid lawyers have access to the password protected LAO LAW website containing a library of legal resources.

• Private bar lawyers can access the website using their Law Society number and LAO solicitor number.
• Duty counsel and staff lawyers can access the website through the LAO LAW tab on The Source intranet page.

Case-specific research

LAO LAW also provides case specific research on certificate cases and for duty counsel and staff lawyer cases.

• Departmental hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Monday to Friday).
• Lawyers can contact the department by telephone or email .

Legal resources available on the LAO LAW website

The LAO LAW website contains a large library of legal resources written specifically to assist lawyers in representing legal aid clients including:

• memoranda on general legal topics
• specific issue memoranda on discrete legal topics
• practice manuals and memoranda
• legal precedents
• secondary materials and presentations
• archive of The Bottom Line newsletters
• video library of continuing professional development and training videos (including LAO lunch and learns)
• the forensic science database
• online mentoring (LAO LAW will connect the requesting lawyer with a practitioner for assistance with practice issues)

LAO LAW publishes weekly editions of The Bottom Line newsletters reporting on recent case law in family, criminal and refugee law as well as legislative changes that are significant to legal aid lawyers. These publications are available by email subscription for all legal aid lawyers (duty counsel, staff and private bar). Lawyers can subscribe through the LAO LAW website.

LAO LAW research services

Phone: 416‑979‑1321 Fax: 416‑979‑8946 Toll‑free: 1‑800‑265‑1392 Email: [email protected]

• Please tell us why (do not include any personal information): * This form is feedback only.

Become a Member Signup for NLADA Updates    Job Board   |   Newsroom

Signup for NLADA Updates

Donate Staff Login Member Login

Building Research Capacity

You are here.

A key initiative of Defender Legal Services (DLS) is expanding the research capacity of public defenders across the country. We help public defense agencies use data and research to provide quality public defense services to clients, advocate for much-needed funding, and promote systems-level reform. DLS educates and trains defenders on research, develops tools and resources to improve data collection and analysis and provides technical assistance  on a broad range of relevant issues. A hallmark of NLADA’s approach is to connect defense practitioners with other types of practitioners who are interested in improving public defense systems.

For example, our three Defender Research Consortium (DRC) gatherings held between 2015 and 2017 brought together defenders, social workers and paralegals with researchers, analysts, technologists, policy makers, and others, to discuss ways to increase and improve research about public defense systems. These highly interactive meetings featured workgroups that tackled topics such as incorporating client perspectives in public defense research, improving defender program analytics capacity, and identifying quality metrics. Under NLADA’s guidance, attendees at the meetings developed a national set of indicators to assess quality in public defense services, an effort that spanned the three meetings. The DRC meetings also sparked creation of several papers, available for download below, that help defenders make evidence-based and data-driven decisions to improve public defense systems nationwide.

For more information, contact Alison Bloomquist, Vice President of Strategic Alliances and Innovation, at  [email protected] . 

Key Resources

Assessing Quality: A History of Indigent Defense Quality Indicators  – A companion piece to the National Indicators of Quality Indigent Defense, this paper traces the development of public defense system performance in the twenty-first century. The paper includes a review of groundbreaking work and differing approaches taken to indicators development over the past two decades, and takes an in-depth look at the work of NLADA's Defender Research Consortium in producing the National Indicators. 

Defender Data Exchange: Boosting Defenders' Research and Data Capabilities  – Aimed at defenders in need of research capacity and academic programs in need of real-world data to study, this resource describes the “Defender Data Exchange” (DDX), an innovative set of approaches to increasing defender programs’ research capacity at little to no cost through partnerships with academic institutions. The guide presents examples of past and ongoing partnerships undertaken by defenders around the country. 

Incorporating Client Perspectives into Indigent Defense Research: A Guide for Practitioners  – This paper was written by four researchers following their discussion about the growing desire for capturing defender client input during a working group session at the September 2017 Defender Research Consortium convening. The paper guides readers through the core administrative and planning phases involved in designing and conducting a research project to assess client satisfaction of indigent defense services. 

North Carolina Systems Evaluation Project (NCSEP) – NLADA is a proud partner of the NCSEP Pilot Project, an initiative spearheaded by the North Carolina Office of Indigent Defense Services and funded by the Open Society Foundations. NCSEP defines the goals and objectives of a quality indigent defense system, as well as potential metrics to quantify system and client outcomes. This multi-state pilot project uses the metrics developed through NCSEP to conduct meaningful state-by-state comparisons of system performance and client outcomes.

In This Section

• Civil Legal Aid Resources
• Basic Data Toolkit
• Building In-House Capacity Toolkit
• Defender Standards
• Defender Grants Center
• Indigent Defense Mentoring
• Mississippi Data Project
• Review of Indigent Defense Service Delivery, Eugene, Oregon
• Review of the Aurora, CO Public Defense System
• Client Resources
• Publications and Newsletters
• APBCo Interactive Map
• NEJL @ NLADA

Increasing Analytics Capacity

New toolkit for defenders on the technology, people, and politics of 21st century data systems.

NLADA Mutual Insurance Co., RRG

Civil Legal Aid Federal Funding Resources

National legal aid & defender association (nlada).

About LegalAidResources

Legalaidresources is an online database that hosts over 300 federal funding opportunities that can support civil legal aid..

The Project to Advance Civil Legal Aid Collaborations , an NLADA initiative,  established this website to help civil legal aid programs and other equal justice advocates find federal funding to support their work. Learn more about this site and how you can use it.

Diversifying an organization’s funding base is essential to its long-term financial health. This site is designed to help you do just that. Ideally, a legal aid program would have at least some funding from the following sources:

• Federal government grants
• State and local government grants
• Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA)
• Court filing fees
• Foundation grants
• Corporate gifts
• Major gifts and individual giving
• Other (Cy Pres awards, special dedicated funding, one-time awards, etc.)

A big thank you to our funders and supporters!

NLADA wishes to thank the Public Welfare Foundation and the Kresge Foundation for their generous support for the establishment of this website. We also thank the Justice in Government Project at American University and the Access to Justice Initiative of the U.S. Department of Justice for their outstanding help in identifying potential other governmental support for civil legal aid.

Have feedback?

If you have any suggestions or comments about this website, email us at [email protected] .

Share this:

Thank you for making this available in a good findable format! Thank you to the funders for making this happen!

Thank you! We are happy to hear that our resource is helpful.

Leave a comment

• Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
• Subscribe Subscribed
• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• View post in Reader
• Manage subscriptions
• Collapse this bar

YOU WORK FOR JUSTICE. WE WORK FOR YOU.

2023 Annual Report

Check out our 2023 Annual Report here. You can find the PDF version here.

Benefits of Membership

Any IOLTA-funded legal services organization is eligible for LAAC Membership, and non-IOLTA-funded legal services organizations are eligible for Associate Membership.

Access to Justice and Legal Aid Research

Through this clearinghouse-style catalog, we hope members and other stakeholders can engage in Access to Justice research.

LAAC Research: Publications

Here you’ll find all of LAAC’s original research, including collaborative work.

Discover upcoming free MLCE and legal aid specific trainings and conferences hosted by us and our members below.

1832 Second Street, Suite 105

Berkeley, CA 94710

(510) 893-3000

[email protected]

2019: Where it stands

The network of state and federal support and training entities formerly funded by LSC has been curtailed, and some of its components have been substantially dismantled. However, many critical components still exist.

Since the loss of their LSC funding, most of the national centers have continued and received funding through national and regional foundations and some IOLTA programs. Many have thrived and grown in funding, national recognition and effectiveness. Examples include:

• National Center for Law and Economic Justice
• National Housing Law Program,
• National Center for Youth Law
• National Health Law Program
• Justice in Aging (formerly the National Senior Citizens Law Center)

A number of the national support centers that had focused solely on issues affecting the low-income community have broadened their focus to attract new sources of funds and also grown in effectiveness. Examples include:

• National Consumer Law Center
• National Employment Law Project
• National Immigration Law Center
• Insight Center for Community Economic Development (formerly the National Economic and Development Law Center)

Several (e.g., National Center on Women and Family Law) closed their doors when they were unable to raise sufficient funds to operate effectively.

The National Clearinghouse became the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law. It is a major state level advocacy entity. It also incorporated the Center for Legal Aid Education and now is a leader in providing substantive, skills, advocacy and racial justice training for civil legal aid programs. It stopped publishing Clearinghouse Review in hard copy in 2015, and ceased publication altogether in 2018.

Although the Regional Training centers no longer exist as such, some programs which housed the centers have continued some training activities. NLADA also ensures substantive law training at national conferences, conducts a substantive law training program for newer attorneys and paralegals every two years and conducts a conference for litigation directors every two years. The Management Information Exchange (MIE) provides management training for executive directors, managers, supervisors and fundraising staff.

At the state level, the network of LSC-funded support centers has been replaced by a group of independent non-LSC funded entities engaged in state advocacy that operate in over 30 states. Only 12 of the current state entities are former LSC-funded state support centers. Several states have been unable to recreate a significant state support capacity at all. The Project for the Future of Equal Justice surveyed state advocacy and support during 2000 and 2001 (The Missing Link in State Justice Communities: The Capacity in Each State for State Level Advocacy, Coordination and Support). The survey revealed that, since the loss of LSC funding for support in 1996:

(1) A few states have preserved and/or strengthened the capacity for state level advocacy, coordination and information dissemnation, have increased training and developed very comprehensive state support systems;

(2) in a number of states, there has been no state level policy advocacy, no significant training of staff, no information sharing about new developments, no litigation support and no effective coordination among providers; and

(3) in a number of states, some state support activities have been undertaken by new entities or carried on by former LSC-funded entities.

Those activities that do exist vary widely. In some states an existing entity continued to exist but at lower funding. In other states, a new entity was created to replace an existing entity or to work alongside an existing entity. In still other states, entirely new ways of providing state level advocacy, coordination and support have emerged, such as the Michigan Poverty Law Project, a joint endeavour of Legal Services of South Central Michigan and the University of Michigan Law School.

In 2015, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law received foundation funding to create the Legal Impact Network of state advocacy organizations. This network has helped pull together existing state advocacy and support programs, convene meetings of such entities, and develop new state advocacy programs.

• Our students
• Our faculty
• Our community
• Our academic programs
• Our reputation
• Our leadership

• Faculty & Research
• Find a faculty member
• Scholarship repository
• Faculty blog
• Faculty resources

• Areas of Study
• Degree programs
• Curriculum roadmaps
• Experiential learning
• Areas of Concentration

Quick Links

• Your Future
• Career-planning services
• Employment statistics
• Contact the Office of Career and Professional Development
• Employer Services

• Admissions Information
• Admitted Students
• Apply to UF Law
• Entering class profile
• Costs and Financial Aid
• Admissions blog
• Application status
• Visiting UF Law
• Contact Admissions
• LL.M. and S.J.D. Admissions
• Levin College of Law
• ABA Required Disclosures
• Alumni Network
• Diversity at UF Law
• Prospective Students
• Legal Scholars
• Current Students
• Faculty & Research
• Student Life

Lawton Chiles Legal Information Center

Today's hours.

Conducting Legal Research

• Five Step Legal Research Process
• Major Secondary Sources
• Major Primary Sources
• Using Shepard's Citator in Lexis
• Using KeyCite's Citator in Westlaw
• Using Headnotes in Westlaw
• Using Headnotes in Lexis
• Finding Aids
• Additional Research Resources
• Free Sources of Law Online
• Research Tips

What is a Finding Aid?

A finding aid is a tool that helps you locate relevant material. Finding aids include indexes, tables of contents, tables of cases, and tables of laws.

Each publication will have its own unique finding aid, tailored to that source. For instance, Chemerinsky’s Constitutional Law: Principles and Policies hornbook includes a table of contents, a table of cases, and an index. Finding aids will vary by publication.

The boxes below provide information about Indexes, Tables of Contents, and Tables of Cases & Tables of Laws.

Index Characteristics:

• Alphabetical arrangement of information, often organized by subjects or names.
• Indicates where to locate information within the main text of the publication.
• Example: Zone of interest test.  See  Standing.

Index Locations:

• In a single volume, usually at the back of the publication. In a multi-volume set, usually in the last volume.
• In Westlaw, finding aids often appear on the right side of the screen.
• In BNA/Bloomberg, the index is typically at the bottom right or left corners of the page.

How to use an Index:

• Look through the index for the keywords or topics that you included in your research plan; consult a thesaurus for synonyms if you don’t have any luck.
• When you find a relevant subject, you will be given either the location of the subject in the publication; or a cross-reference to another portion of the index (e.g., if you look up “children,” you may find “See Infants, this index.” You then will look up Infants in the index.).
• Read the sections indicated.
• If you are using an index in a database like Westlaw, you can often browse or search the index. The online indexes function similarly to the print: locate a relevant topic, find a citation to a place in the book or a cross-reference, then click the link.

Tables of Contents

Table of Contents Characteristics:

• Chronological list of all of the major sections of a publication, in the order in which they are printed, which indicates the location of the sections in the publication.
• A publication may include a brief overall table of contents and a more detailed table of contents.

Table of Contents Locations:

• Generally at the beginning of a publication.
• Large multivolume publications may have tables of contents in one or more of the following places: in the front of the first volume, in the front of each volume, and/or in the front of each major section or topic.
• Lexis: view the table of contents through the browse sources function.
• Westlaw: typically on the top right side of the screen when you click on a publication, e.g., USCA.
• Both Lexis and Westlaw have a table of contents for statutes and treatises. The table of contents will be an option at the top of the screen.

How to use a Table of Contents:

• Browse through the table of contents to locate the subject that you are researching. You may be able to find related topics this way, too.
• Example: when researching a statute, use the table of contents to look at surrounding statutes, which are often related to your initial statute.
• In Westlaw and Lexis, search just a source’s Table of Contents to find relevant sections.

Tables of Cases and Tables of Laws

Table of Cases & Table of Laws Characteristics:

• Alphabetical list of judicial opinions; or numerical or alphabetical list of statutes or regulations, discussed within the publication.
• Indicates where the discussion of the primary law takes place within the publication.
• Often lists a case by both plaintiff and defendant.  
• Sometimes alternatively arranged by jurisdiction, date, or topic.
• Good sources for major cases, statutes, or regulations in a particular area of law.

Table of Cases & Table of Laws Locations:

• If included, generally at the end of the publication.
• Cases in Westlaw and Lexis will sometimes have a Table of Cases/Table of Authorities.

How to use a Table of Cases or Table of Laws:

• Look up a case name by plaintiff or defendant.
• Look up a statute or regulation by citation or Title number.
• For tables arranged by jurisdiction, date, or topic, locate the jurisdiction, date, or topic relevant to your issue; skim the publication’s discussion of those primary sources.
• << Previous: Using Headnotes in Lexis
• Next: Additional Research Resources >>
• Last Updated: Apr 18, 2023 4:07 PM
• URL: https://guides.law.ufl.edu/legalresearch

University of Florida Levin College of Law 309 Village Drive PO Box 117620 Gainesville, FL 32611 (352) 273-0804 Text-Only Version

• ELEARNING PORTAL
• CONSUMER INFORMATION (ABA REQUIRED DISCLOSURES)
• Diversity Statement
• CONTACT UF LAW
• DISABILITY SERVICES
• REGULATIONS
• PRIVACY POLICY
• Media Inquiries
• Technology Services
• FACULTY DIRECTORY
• CURRENT STUDENTSs
• PUBLIC NOTICES
• WEB UPDATES AND FEEDBACK
• REPORT A CAMPUS/FACILITY CONCERN
• EVENT PLANNING

The Legal Aid Justice Center partners with communities and clients to fight for racial, social, and economic justice by dismantling systems that create and perpetuate poverty.

• We believe that the individual legal problems of our clients are linked to systems of injustice and oppression.
• We believe that legal and organizing strategies can dismantle the social, racial, and economic systems that keep people in poverty.
• We believe poverty is a racial justice issue.
• We believe that creating long-term, sustainable change in communities experiencing poverty is the foundation for our advocacy.
• We believe direct representation is part of our strategy to fight systems of injustice and oppression.
• We believe that by viewing individual cases as part of larger social and political systems, we are able to set our priorities and distribute our resources for the greatest positive impact.
• We commit to making sure we and the organizations we work with operate in ways that align with the race equity and justice values and goals we support. This includes making sure race equity is reflected in recruitment and hiring, organizational culture, communications, and community partnerships, especially with low-income communities of color. 

FOR COMMUNITIES WITH COMMUNITIES

A summary of our 2022-2026 Strategic Plan

WE WILL FURTHER CENTER OUR WORK IN DEEP PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITIES DIRECTLY HARMED BY SYSTEMIC RACISM.

• It is critical that we build trusting relationships with communities directly harmed by systemic racism. We want to meet a community’s urgent needs for survival by providing them with individualized legal help, while also helping them build their power as a group so that they can shape their own futures.

WE WILL EXPAND TO ACHIEVE JUSTICE FOR PEOPLE ACROSS VIRGINIA.

• Our policy advocacy, communications, organizing, and impact litigation already have statewide impacts, so it is important that we be accountable to people in communities across the state by expanding our geographic presence and building stronger relationships with impacted people and community partners in areas where we do not currently have staff.

WE WILL SHARE POWER AND RESOURCES. 

• To fulfill our mission, we need to draw on the knowledge, skills, time, and labor of other people and organizations, including people from systemically under-resourced communities, so we must look for ways to share our resources and invite them into decision-making.

WE WILL APPLY OUR VALUES TO OUR OWN INTERNAL SYSTEMS AND CULTURE.

• We cannot achieve the change we wish to see in the world unless we ourselves adopt deliberate anti-racism policies and practices. It is critical that we embed LAJC’s commitment to racial justice throughout the organization by supporting the well-being of our staff and by applying an anti-racist analysis to programs, strategic planning, and internal policies and systems.

To make all of this happen, our plan calls for us to take the following steps:

• Design and implement organization-wide standards for centering community voices in our advocacy 
• Building from our farmworker project, create a new program centering on workers and workplace justice
• Invest in our health justice efforts with the creation of a new program dedicated to tackling the vast systemic disparities in access to healthcare and public benefits. 
• Expand our physical operations by rebuilding our presence in Petersburg and establishing a new presence in Hampton Roads
• Improve our capacity to provide legal, organizing, fundraising, communications, and other kinds of support to help community groups achieve their goals 
• Audit and improve our internal systems to ensure that they uphold our commitment to equity, transparency, and power-sharing across the organization 
• Provide competitive salaries and benefits, offer permanent flexible work, increase operational and administrative support, and maintain a culture of radical love and acceptance, and support of each other

LAJC STRATEGIC PLAN 2022 – 2026

• Español ( Spanish )

Harvard Legal Aid Bureau

Providing Free Legal Services to the Greater Boston Community Since 1913

Our Mission: The Harvard Legal Aid Bureau is a student-run civil legal aid organization committed to providing free representation to low-income and marginalized communities in the Greater Boston area. Students and staff aim to provide these services in a way that responds to the systemic Read More/Lee Mas

Seeking Legal Help?

Para obtener ayuda en español, haga clic aquí. Individuals seeking representation from the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau should CALL (617) 495-4408, Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Harvard Legal Aid Bureau clients are assigned to a student attorney who will represent the client Read More/Lee Mas

Self-Help & Pro Se

If the Bureau and other community resources (found here) are unable to assist you at this time, or should you wish to represent yourself in your case, the following information about pro se representation may be helpful. For additional information relating to self-help and pro Read More/Lee Mas

¿Busca ayuda legal?

Los individuos que buscan la representación de el Harvard Legal Aid Bureau deben MARCAR al (617) 495-4408, de lunes – viernes, 9a.m.-5 p.m. Los clientes del Harvard Legal Aid Bureau se les asigna un abogado estudiante que representarán a los clientes en cuestiones relacionadas con Read More/Lee Mas

Donate Now!

Read More/Lee Mas

News & Highlights

Administrative Director Susana Arteta retires after 22 years with HLAB

Posted on April 9, 2024 April 9, 2024 Author Harvard Legal Aid Bureau Leave a comment

After 22 historic years with the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, Susana Arteta announced that she would be retiring from her role as Administrative Director in May of 2024. HLAB sat down with Susana to hear some of her reflections from her tenure.   What was HLAB Read More/Lee Mas

Former HLAB President Suzanna Bobadilla, HLS ’23, reflects on her time in law school & on becoming an advocate for workers’ rights

Posted on May 8, 2023 May 8, 2023 Author hlshlab Leave a comment

Suzanna Bobadilla served as the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau’s President from February 2022 through February 2023, and is a student attorney in the Bureau’s Wage Practice. Just weeks before her graduation, HLAB sat down with her for a conversation about her time at HLAB and Read More/Lee Mas

HLAB obtains six-figure settlement in family case 

Posted on April 10, 2023 April 10, 2023 Author hlshlab Leave a comment

On March 23, the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau obtained a judgment enforcing a settlement agreement drafted by Vandana Apte, HLS ’23, for her client at the Bureau. The agreement secured payment of over $60,000 in child support arrears for HLAB’s client, as well as a Read More/Lee Mas

[Harvard Law Today] Helping parents know their legal rights

Posted on April 6, 2023 April 6, 2023 Author hlshlab Leave a comment

By Colleen Walsh for Harvard Law Today For Olivia Murray ’23, witnessing how the criminal legal system interacted with her family and friends in her home state of Florida inspired one of her current interests at Harvard Law School: helping keep families together. The experiences Read More/Lee Mas

HLAB launches Family Defense subpractice

Posted on March 3, 2023 March 9, 2023 Author hlshlab Leave a comment

This semester, HLAB’s Family practice has officially launched its Family Defense subpractice and will begin regularly accepting family defense cases as part of its casework, alongside traditional family cases involving divorce, custody, and parenting time matters. The Bureau currently has six active family defense cases Read More/Lee Mas

HLAB wins judgment against Mass. painting & construction company for recurring wage theft

Posted on February 22, 2023 February 22, 2023 Author hlshlab Leave a comment

CAMBRIDGE, Feb. 21, 2023—Dana Talbot, owner of painting and construction company Dana Talbot Painting, has incurred numerous judgments in Massachusetts courts for violating Massachusetts wage laws by refusing to pay employees and ignoring legal action against him. The Harvard Legal Aid Bureau (“HLAB”) has filed Read More/Lee Mas

Kimberly Everett ’22 honored with Dean’s Award for Community Leadership

Posted on May 26, 2022 May 27, 2022 Author hlshlab Leave a comment

Kimberly Everett ’22 (Executive Director) received a Dean’s Award for Community Leadership at the Class of 2022 Commencement. The award recognizes graduating students who have significantly contributed to the well-being of the HLS community through student organizations and clinics. Besides serving as the Executive Director Read More/Lee Mas

Courtney Brunson ’22 chosen to speak at Harvard Black Graduation Ceremony

Posted on May 24, 2022 May 30, 2022 Author hlshlab Leave a comment

Courtney Brunson ’22 (President) was chosen to be the student speaker at the 2022 Harvard Black Graduation Ceremony. Congratulations, Courtney! Check out the program below.

Sara Tsai ’23: Joining the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau (HLAB) as a transfer student

Posted on May 24, 2022 May 27, 2022 Author hlshlab Leave a comment

Interested in joining HLAB as a transfer student? Our application cycle is currently open! Our application page has more information about how prospective transfer students can apply to the Bureau. Sara Tsai ’23 shared her experience as a member of the B with Harvard Law Read More/Lee Mas

Elizabeth Buttersworth ’22 receives 2022 Gants Access to Justice Award

Posted on May 23, 2022 May 27, 2022 Author hlshlab Leave a comment

3L Elizabeth “Liz” Buttersworth was honored for her zealous advocacy with the 2022 Gants Access to Justice Award, which “recognizes a student who is dedicated to advancing access to justice and racial equity and has demonstrated leadership in helping to eliminate systemic barriers to justice.” Read More/Lee Mas

Indigent Defense Funding in Pennsylvania

60 of the 66 counties in pennsylvania with public defenders have criminal attorney staffing levels below current standards..

In September 2023, the RAND Corporation, in collaboration with the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) and the American Bar Association (ABA), published the National Public Defense Workload Study (NPDWS). This landmark study estimates the minimum time inputs required for public defenders to provide adequate representation that satisfies prevailing constitutional and professional standards in criminal cases. To calculate the implied minimum workload of public defender organizations in each Pennsylvania county, we applied these estimates to a dataset covering over 1 million criminal cases in Pennsylvania filed between 2016 and 2022 . Further, we compared this to actual staffing levels to identify areas with resource shortfalls. Our approach for estimating shortfalls was conservative, i.e. we analyzed the data and chose assumptions that will tend to minimize findings of inadequacy.

Key Findings

Statewide, public defenders are experiencing a substantial personnel shortfall. In a typical year, public defenders are assigned cases that would require over 1,200 full-time equivalent (FTE) attorneys to provide adequate representation, but there are only about 850 criminal attorney FTEs currently employed by public defender organizations in the state.

Shortfalls are pervasive but not universal—60 of the 66 counties with public defenders (91%) have criminal attorney staffing levels below current standards. However, there are counties that satisfy adequacy standards in varied regions of the state and within different county population categories.

For 50 counties (76%), there is no combination of estimates provided by any of the dozens of experts involved in the NPDWS that would allow us to conclude that the county has adequate personnel to handle its public defender’s criminal caseloads. Put differently, no matter which of the 33 different expert estimates from the NPDWS we choose to use, we would always conclude that there is a personnel shortfall in these counties.

For the first time in the 2023-2024 fiscal year, Pennsylvania authorized state funding for indigent defense; prior to this year, Pennsylvania was one of only two states that provided no state funding for indigent defense. The shortfalls created by an overwhelmingly local funding model may violate state and federal constitutional guarantees of access to counsel in criminal cases.

View Report (Interactive)

View Report (PDF)

Projected Attorney Shortfalls By County

+1-888-819-9777

Founded in 1995, over 25 years ago, LRA currently works with 125 correctional agencies across the United States and provides more than 24,000 responses per month to inmate legal research requests.  From state prisons, to county detention centers, to tiny municipal jails, LRA has the expertise and personnel to serve facilities in all 50 states.

• Approximate ADP of our smallest facility – 20
• Approximate ADP of our largest facility – 4,300

As is the case with so many startup businesses, LRA was conceived over lunch between two brothers-in-law: one an attorney and one a jail programs manager.  That conversation was centered on our first clients’ challenges in complying with a Federal Consent Decree.  Fast forward through more than 25 years of continuous innovation and expansion to our services, and that same agency is still one of our 125 clients today.

Our mission is to provide correctional agencies and facilities cost effective off-site solutions for meeting the constitutional mandate of “Access to the Courts” while at the same time supporting inmates with meaninful support to represent themselves or assist their attorneys in their own defense.

Time is money. Stop keeping track of law library subscriptions.  Stop keeping track of inmates going to and from the law library. No more printing. No more equipment maintenance. Now is the time to go Virtual with LRA–an off-site inmate legal research service .

By eliminating the facility’s inmate law library, there are multiple savings.  Think about the savings your facility can realize by partnering with LRA and our program working for you?

Visualize the empty library book shelves.  What could your facility do with the space emptied when inmates are sending their legal requests to LRA instead of being scheduled, moved and watched while in the law library?

Security is always at the top of the list of concerns in correctional facilities.  Eliminating the risks of moving inmates back and forth to the law library, the time taken to schedule them and the potential of inmates placing contraband in the books are all immediately removed when your facility goes Virtual with LRA.

Etiam magna arcu, ullamcorper ut pulvinar et, ornare sit amet ligula. Aliquam vitae bibendum lorem. Cras id dui lectus. Pellentesque nec felis tristique urna lacinia sollicitudin ac ac ex. Maecenas mattis faucibus condimentum. Curabitur imperdiet felis at est posuere bibendum. Sed quis nulla tellus.

63739 street lorem ipsum City, Country

+12 (0) 345 678 9

[email protected]

• Departments, Offices & Resources

Institute for American Indian Studies

Established in 1955, the University of South Dakota's Institute of American Indian Studies (IAIS) is your gateway to understanding Indigenous cultures.

Learning for All

We offer educational programs and resources for everyone to explore the history, languages, and traditions of Native American tribes. We also champion educational opportunities for students of Native American descent.

Respectful Research

The IAIS supports research that works closely with tribal communities and honors their traditions. We encourage research that uses Indigenous perspectives, leading to a deeper understanding of their experiences.

A Center for Collaboration

The IAIS acts as a central hub within the university for all things related to Native American cultures. We hold annual meetings to connect everyone working on Indigenous issues, ensuring a respectful approach that values tribal customs.

faculty & staff

Elise Boxer

Recent news.

Beacom School of Business Prepares Students for AI- and Data-Driven Workforce

Artificial intelligence (AI) is fundamentally altering how business is conducted across the globe – from revenue growth and daily operations to marketing and customer engagement. As the state’s flagship business school, the University of South Dakota Beacom School of Business is at the forefront of this transformation, offering innovative programs and hands-on learning to equip students for success in an ever-changing workforce.

USD Medical Biology Student Awarded Prestigious Udall Scholarship

Elle Hoops, a rising senior at the University of South Dakota, was selected as a Udall Scholar by the Udall Foundation. She was one of 55 students from 50 colleges and universities across the nation to receive the 2024 Udall Scholarship.

Noah Shepard Named USD Foundation and Alumni Association President and CEO

Noah Shepard, a 2010 graduate of the University of South Dakota, has been named president and CEO of the USD Foundation and Alumni Association. Shepard has most recently served as the vice president for development for the USD Foundation.

Departments & Facilities

Native Student Services

We aim to provide unique opportunities for Native American students by finding answers you need, people to relate to and support for your future.

Main navigation

• Clinical Education
• O'Brien Fellowships
• Steinberg Fellowships
• CHRLP Article Lab

Gender Disparities In Organ Donation And Transplantation In India: A Call For Equality

• Add to calendar
• Tweet Widget

The 2021 statistics report of the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) of India has brought attention to a significant gender disparity: 80% of organ recipients were male, while, 75% of organ donors were female. This phenomenon has become entangled in the complex existing web of intersectional discrimination in India, which deviates from the principles of justice and equality enshrined in Articles 14 and 15 of the Indian Constitution. Moreover, the gender inequality in organ donation and transplantation in India reflects discriminatory practices and is a manifestation of patriarchal ideologies that marginalize women’s accessibility to healthcare facilities. This gender imbalance constitutes a violation of women’s right to health and medical care, which were recognized as essential aspects of the right to life under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution in the landmark case of Francies Coralie Mullin v Union Territory of Delhi.

Female organ donors are influenced by sociocultural factors and financial dependency. Financial independence may reduce their inclination to donate. Additionally, one of the psychological factors contributing to the gender gap in organ donation is women’s prior experiences, like childbirth, which enhance their trust in the medical system. Mothers are the primary organ donors among parents accounting for 73% of donations, while wives contribute 91% of donations in married couples. Regarding this gender inequality, Dr Pranjali Modi, the convenor of the State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO), has emphasized that patriarchal beliefs play a significant role in the general reluctance to accept organ donations from men, who are often considered to be the primary breadwinners in families. Moreover, when men donate organs, financial difficulties might arise during the evaluation, surgery, and recovery phases, which can result in the coercion of women to undergo organ donation surgery.

Relatedly, there is a subconscious prioritization of men over women for life-saving treatments, such as organ transplantation, based on the perceived economic importance of their roles. These biases are also apparent within medical institutions and professions, potentially affecting doctor-patient interactions and resulting in gender inequalities in organ transplant procedures. However, a notable scientific reason for the gender disparity in organ transplantation is that pregnancy sensitizes women’s immune systems, potentially diminishing the compatibility of their organs with those of their blood relatives, which are those individuals who are most inclined to donate organs. Further, women waiting to receive organ donations, due to their typically smaller stature, encounter a greater likelihood of being declined organ offers, leading to a higher risk of death or removal from the waitlist compared to small-stature men. This inherent bias in healthcare exacerbates gender inequalities in organ transplantation access for women. These factors, altogether, contribute to unequal access to organ transplantation, a critical healthcare intervention, as evidenced by a longitudinal study spanning 15 years which revealed that a mere 15% of female individuals were organ recipients in the nation.

This healthcare outcome contradicts the stipulations outlined in Article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (“ICESCR”), which acknowledges the entitlement of every individual to achieve “ the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health .” Additionally, the importance of guaranteeing equitable allocation of health facilities, goods and services among both men and women has been underscored in the remarkable case of Karukola Simhachalam vs Union of India and Ors (WP PIL No 164 of 2019). The case further emphasized the necessity of counteracting any hindrances to the full realisation of the right to health and eradicate discriminatory practices for all people. Nevertheless, any practice embedded in gender bias not only perpetuates disparities for women but also undermines the very bedrock of equality principles. This practice is vulnerable to legal scrutiny under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights , which accentuates the significance of legal egalitarianism, the right to health, and well-being.

It is imperative to confront gender imbalances to foster a society characterised by equality, inclusivity and the protection of women’s rights. Although the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, of 1994 ostensibly maintains a gender-neutral stance, the actual implementation unveils a fabric intricately woven with evident gender disparities and prejudices. The dissonance between legal intent and application of the legislation in practice underscores the need to erase gender stereotypes and inequalities within the organ transplantation and donation domain.

Addressing the issue of gender disparities in organ transplantation necessitates raising awareness as a foundational step. To mitigate disparities among disadvantaged groups, it is crucial to implement transplant centers and community initiatives targeting rural and marginalized areas and establish transplant centers in those places as well. The pre-transplant assessment should encompass psychosocial and economic dimensions to identify any potential negative motivations for donation, such as underlying abuse, coercion, threats and violence. Conducting research studies and collecting accurate statistics at the grassroots level is also imperative for developing policies that promote equality and fair access to organ transplantation. Additionally, overcoming biological barriers in transplantation procedures requires the implementation of science-backed policies.

Lastly, providing medical assistance to organ donors for the transplantation process and offering medical support to organ recipients from vulnerable communities are essential steps that Indian government should take. However, addressing gender imbalance requires more than just focusing on education and poverty alleviation. It necessitates a deeper examination of traditional gender roles and the roles of women within their families. Policies must be implemented to ensure that women receive equitable access to transplantation services, regardless of their societal status or financial standing within the family.

Department and University Information

Centre for human rights and legal pluralism.

• Faculty of Law
• Law Admissions - BCL/JD
• Law Admissions - graduate programs
• Law Student Affairs Office
• Law Career Development Office
• Nahum Gelber Law Library
• Focus online
• CHRLP Facebook page
• Business Law Platform
• Centre for Intellectual Property Policy
• Fortier Chair in Int'l Arbitration & Commercial Law
• Institute of Air & Space Law
• Jean Monnet Chair in International Economic Integration
• Labour Law and Development Research Laboratory
• Oppenheimer Chair in public international law
• Paul-André Crépeau Centre for Private & Comparative Law
• Peter MacKell Chair in Federalism
• Private Justice and the Rule of Law
• Research Group on Health & Law
• Rule of Law and Economic Development
• Stikeman Chair in Tax Law
• Wainwright Fund

A Rx for Conservation

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Aquatic Animal Drug Approval Partnership Program collects data and conducts research to aid in the Food and Drug Administration’s aquatic drug approval process. It is the only program in the United States which is dedicated to obtaining safe and effective medications to improve fish culture and fisheries management practices.  

In addition to conducting research on the safety and efficacy of aquatic drugs, the program also works with the FDA to provide fisheries professionals with legal access to Investigational New Animal Drugs (INAD), or otherwise unavailable treatment options which are still making their way through the drug approval process. These include medicated feeds, immersion baths, sedatives, spawning aides, marking, and injectable theraputics. All INAD treatments have a required withdrawal period that ensures the drug to leave the fish’s system prior to release ensuring the treated fish will not be harmful to the environment or a potential consumer. 

A Rx for Conservation 

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is dedicated to the conservation of fish and the waters where they live. Our Fish and Wildlife Conservation Offices are at the forefront of monitoring the health and stability of fish populations across the country, and national fish hatcheries play an important role in conservation by raising aquatic wildlife that are at-at risk or endangered, improving recreational fishing, and supporting fisheries that have been impacted by a federal dam.   

Just like in human populations, fish diseases can emerge and spread naturally, or they can be unintentionally spread from one population of fish to another. As climate change climate change Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale. Learn more about climate change increases water temperatures, emerging aquatic diseases could become more prolific in freshwater ecosystems and spread into new areas. Additionally, many aquatic ecosystems are experiencing habitat changes which can result in the loss of natural spawning cues and interrupt spawning cycles. We take extraordinary measures is to ensure the health and safety of the wild fish we study as well as the captive animals under our care - particularly in hatchery settings where large numbers of fish congregate and there is regular movement between captive to wild populations.  One of those measures is the use and development of aquatic medications that are known to be safe for the animal treated, the environment, and for a potential consumer. 

Stocking the Medicine Chest of the Future 

Medicated feeds and immersion treatments – these medications treat internal/external bacteria or parasites. Medicated feed provides the medicine in the form of fish feed while immersion INADs are added to a water bath where fish absorb the medication through their skin. Both treatment types may be used in an aquaculture setting and can help prevent a mass mortality event once a disease or parasite is detected. 

Sedatives – sedatives/anesthetics are used to reduce stress associated with the handling of fish and to decrease injury to both the fish and the handler. There are numerous scenarios where fish may need to be handled, and when this occurs it is safer and less stressful for the fish to be sedated. In aquaculture sedatives may be used to aid in spawning, transferring large fish, or conducting fish health inspections. In the field sedatives can aid in the collection of population metrics (i.e., length, weight, sex) or to surgically implant a tag for tracking purposes.  

Spawning aides – spawning aides are used to induce spawning in fish which may not spawn on their own. The hormonal changes which enable fish to spawn are caused by environmental cues. In situations where these environmental cues no longer exist, due to habitat changes/loss or aquaculture rearing conditions, spawning aides can be used to simulate the hormone response needed for spawning to occur. Spawning aids are crucial to the success of threatened or endangered populations reared in captivity. 

Marking – Some aquaculture programs rely on marking fish to determine the success of the stocked population. Fisheries biologists can then check fish for the mark upon recapture which helps them to collect survival information as well as an estimation of natural spawning occurring in the population (i.e., capturing juvenile fish without a mark would indicate that fish was naturally spawned).  

Injectable Theraputics– Injectable therapeutics are most commonly used in returning salmon (i.e., hatchery-reared fish which return to the hatchery to spawn). Salmon have a unique lifecycle where they migrate to the ocean for majority of their life and return to their natal stream to spawn. Hatchery-reared salmon will return to the hatchery where they were released. The migration from the ocean to the natal stream or hatchery is physiologically stressful and often results in the fish becoming more susceptible to naturally caused diseases and pathogens. If the returning salmon are infected with pathogens upon arrival at the hatchery, injectable therapeutics enable the fish to remain healthy to spawn. Salmon naturally die after spawning. Therefore, treated salmon will not returned to the environment. 

Improving Aquaculture and Fish Health for Conservation and our Partners  

The INAD Program is available to all fisheries professionals within the United States that are willing to follow the study protocol approved by the FDA and meet AADAP’s data reporting requirements. The use of INADs generates important data demonstrating the safety and effectiveness of treatments that occur in controlled and experimental conditions which aides in the drug’s approval process. Aquaculture is a growing industry and AADAP is just one of the programs the USFWS has developed to ensure the safety and preservation of aquatic ecosystems. When fisheries professionals have more options for medications, they are better equipped to rear healthy fish, manage healthy aquatic populations, and maintain a healthy environment.  

Latest Stories

You are exiting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website

You are being directed to

We do not guarantee that the websites we link to comply with Section 508 (Accessibility Requirements) of the Rehabilitation Act. Links also do not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.