Senior Julianne Jaquith, a native of Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., is interested in law school and public interest issues. This summer she decided to do some investigation work, and secured a position with Legal Services of the Hudson Valley (LSHV) to research the current system of providing counsel for low income individuals in civil matters.
In the 1963 case Gideon v Wainwright, the Supreme Court ruled that the assistance of counsel in criminal proceedings was a fundamental right, and that every person tried for a criminal offense in the U.S. court system had the right to a counsel. An implication of this decision was that states were required to supply public defenders to those who needed them. However, this right did not extend to low income individuals in adversarial civil proceedings, often where basic human needs are at stake. In an attempt to meet the need for low income providers of civil legal services, Congress established the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) whose mission is to provide financial support for civil legal aid to low-income Americans. LSC promotes equal access to justice by providing funding to 134 independent non-profit legal aid programs in every state, the District of Columbia, and U.S. Territories.
Legal Services of the Hudson Valley provides free, high quality counsel in civil matters for individuals and families who cannot afford to pay an attorney. It operates out of White Plains and covers eight counties in Southern New York. Jaquith joined the office for the summer, where she was allowed to do both office work and pursue her own research into how well the current legal system worked. Even though Westchester County is relatively affluent, and the organization is a large one, about 8% of the area was below the legal poverty line, and the office cannot meet all needs.
Jaquith was guided by two questions in her research: is the current system of providing appointed counsel to criminal defendantssufficient, and would it be beneficial to extend appointed representation into the civil sector? Over the summer, Jaquith did her research by traveling around the county courts and observing trials, sometimes accompanying a lawyer and sometimes alone. "People thought I was spying," she joked.
She was also able to work in the office doing preliminary interview and client advocacy work, such as telephoning and photocopying records. She enjoyed working with clients, and being involved in their cases. "It's great when they win," she said, describing her work with a client who eventually won her social security case.
After her summer of observation, Jaquith was able to conclude that extending the services provided by LSHV into the civil sector would be very effective. She praised the "amazing" work being done by LSHV lawyers, especially for victims of domestic violence, but also that there were severe problems with the current system. "There's just so much need not being met," she said, especially in landlord/tenant debate, where the tenants are often unaware of their rights and unrepresented.
"I saw the power of an attorney; how much influence they have in the court room," Jaquith added. She was particularly struck by the key position of a lawyer in a court case, and by the process itself. She explained that many of the county court rooms she visited were not at all like the court rooms the public tends to imagine. "It's interesting to see the appearance of our legal system at the most local levels," Jaquith said.
A world politics major, Jaquith already has extensive experience in offices, having previously interned in the office of her local county executive and, during her participation in Hamilton's DC program, in a senatorial office and with the Middle East Institute. "This was much more self-driven," said Jaquith of her work with LSHV.
During the year, Jaquith is a member of the choir and the Hamiltones, and acts as the Hamilton campus progress representative for Washington Think Tank Center for Progress. Jaquith's role with this organization is mostly that of facilitator, and she will be coordinating outreach events to organize Hamilton students around college issues. She plans to enter law school after her graduation in May, eventually to work in public sector law or an area related to international relations.
Her work this summer is funded by the research stipend of his Bristol Scholarship, a merit award that recognizes Hamilton's strongest applicants by meeting their full financial need without loan for four years. Bristol Scholars also receive substantial research funding to be used before graduation. Jaquith will present her findings, analyses, and recommendations regarding civil legal services later this year.
