NCJ Number
13972
Date Published
1974
Length
155 pages
Annotation
COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF JUDICARE AND 'POVERTY LAWYER' STAFFED-OFFICES IN PROVIDING LEGAL SERVICES TO THE POOR.
Abstract
STUDY DATA WAS GATHERED IN THE SUMMERS OF 1971 AND 1972 IN THE JUDICARE AREAS OF WISCONSIN AND MONTANA, AND IN THE UPPER PENINSULA OF MICHIGAN, AN AREA SERVED BY A STAFFED-OFFICE PROGRAM. PERSONAL INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED IN THE FIELD WITH PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS (BOTH CLIENTS AND LAWYERS) AND DATA WAS ALSO OBTAINED FROM EXISTING LITERATURE, PROGRAM STATISTICS, AND BAR PROPOSALS AND RESOLUTIONS. THE TWO PROGRAM MODELS WERE COMPARED ACCORDING TO THEIR ABILITY TO REACH THE POOR, CLIENTS' CHOICE OF AND ACCESS TO LAWYERS, TYPES OF LAWYERS, NUMBER AND DISTRIBUTION OF CASES, TYPES OF CASES HANDLED, AND THE COST OF SERVICES. RESEARCHERS FOUND THAT POOR PEOPLE UNDER JUDICARE ARE MORE LIKELY TO BECOME AWARE OF SERVICES AVAILABLE EARLIER AND MORE EASILY THAN UNDER THE STAFFED-OFFICE MODEL; THAT THE CHOICE OF LAWYER UNDER JUDICARE GIVES CLIENTS A SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGE OVER THE CHOICELESS STAFFED-OFFICE MODEL AND THAT POOR CLIENTS EXHIBIT A PREFERENCE FOR JUDICARE OVER THE STAFFED OFFICE. IN ADDITION, JUDICARE WAS FOUND TO PROVIDE A RANGE OF LEGAL SERVICES COMPARABLE TO THAT OF STAFFED OFFICES WHILE BEING NO MORE COSTLY, IN THE LONG RUN. THE AUTHOR, THEREFORE, URGES THAT THE JUDICARE MODEL (THE PRIVATE BAR PLAYING THE DOMINANT ROLE IN THE DELIVERY OF LEGAL SERVICES TO THE POOR, WITH PROFESSIONAL POVERTY LAWYERS ASSUMING AN ANCILLARY AND SPECIALIZED ROLE) BE ADOPTED AS THE BASIS FOR A NATIONAL LEGAL SERVICES PROGRAM FOR THE POOR. THE APPENDIX CONTAINS THE ELIGIILITY CRITERIA FOR JUDICARE IN WISCONSIN, THE WISCONSIN JUDICARE FEE SCHEDULE, AND MAPS OF THE AREAS COVERED BY THE TWO LEGAL SERVICES PLANS COMPARED.