Legal Rights Center Incorporated

SEE SCHEDULE O.OUR MISSION IS TO WORK WITH OUR COMMUNITIES TO SEEK JUSTICE AND PROMOTE RACIAL EQUITY FOR THOSE TO WHOM IT HAS BEEN HISTORICALLY DENIED. WE DO THIS THROUGH CRIMINAL DEFENSE, RESTORATIVE JUSTICE, ADVOCACY, AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION.

SEE SCHEDULE O.THROUGH OUR COMMUNITY DEFENSE PROGRAM WE PROVIDE FREE CRIMINAL DEFENSE TO CHILDREN AND ADULTS UTILIZING A MODEL OF PROVIDING HOLISTIC, CLIENT-CENTERED AND COMMUNITY-DRIVEN REPRESENTATION TO CLIENTS WHO OTHERWISE COULD NOT AFFORD AN ATTORNEY. WE PRIORITIZE CLIENTS AND CASES INVOLVING INJUSTICES, FOCUSED ON CHALLENGING HARMFUL SYSTEMIC PROCESSES OR PRACTICES, OR IN WHICH THE CLIENT MAY BENEFIT FROM SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY RESOURCES. WE ALSO UTILIZE A TEAM REPRESENTATION MODEL, WITH EACH CLIENT WORKING WITH BOTH AN ATTORNEY AND A COMMUNITY ADVOCATE. OUR COMMUNITY ADVOCATES ARE FROM THE AFRICAN AMERICAN, NATIVE AMERICAN AND LATINX COMMUNITIES, PROVIDING CULTURALLY SPECIFIC SUPPORTS AND RESOURCE REFERRALS. IN 2021, LRC PROVIDED CRIMINAL DEFENSE REPRESENTATION ON 205 JUVENILE AND ADULT CASES, ALTHOUGH OUR WEIGHTED DEFENSE CASELOAD (BASED ON SERIOUSNESS OF THE CASES HANDLED) WAS 353. ADDITIONALLY, OUR TEAM SUPPORTED 60 INDIVIDUALS SEEKING EXPUNGEMENT. 45% OF CASES WITH REPRESENTATION BY LRC ATTORNEYS WERE DISMISSED, DIVERTED OR DISCHARGED. AN ADDITIONAL 10% OF CASES WITH LRC REPRESENTATION RESULTED IN A STAY OF ADJUDICATION, FOR A TOTAL OF 55% OF LRC CASES WITH NO CONVICTIONS IN 2021. ADDITIONALLY, OUR COMMUNITY ADVOCATES SERVE AS A RESOURCE FOR INDIVIDUALS FOR WHOM WE ARE NOT ABLE TO PROVIDE FULL REPRESENTATION. IN 2021, OUR COMMUNITY ADVOCATES SERVED AS A RESOURCE FOR 1567 INDIVIDUALS, REFERRING TO OTHER PRO BONO LEGAL SERVICES, GOVERNMENT AGENCIES FOR LEGAL PROBLEM SOLVING, AND TO COMMUNITY PROGRAMS. THROUGH OUR Y:EARS PROGRAM WE PROVIDE NEUTRAL FACILITATION OF SCHOOL-BASED FAMILY GROUP CONFERENCES (FGC, A STRENGTHS-BASED RESTORATIVE JUSTICE METHOD) IN THE AFTERMATH OF SIGNIFICANT SCHOOL BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS, TRUANCY, OR CRIMINAL ACCUSATION (OR A COMBINATION) AS A POSITIVE ALTERNATIVE TO INEFFECTIVE PUNITIVE RESPONSES. FGC SERVICES ARE PROVIDED TO YOUTH AND THEIR FAMILIES THROUGH SEVERAL PARTNERSHIPS, WITH THE PRIMARY GOAL BEING THAT THE YOUTH AFTER A SEVERELY PROBLEMATIC INCIDENT THAT COULD OTHERWISE LEAD TO A SUSPENSION, EXPULSION AND/OR JUVENILE COURT CHARGING BECOMES RE-ENGAGED AT SCHOOL WITH BETTER ADULT SUPPORT. IN THE LAST SCHOOL YEAR, OUR Y:EARS TEAM FACILITATED 169 SCHOOL-BASED RESTORATIVE FAMILY GROUP CONFERENCES, EACH WITH INDIVIDUALLY DETERMINED BENCHMARKS FOR SUCCESS. OF THE YOUTH SUPPORTED WITH RESTORATIVE FAMILY GROUP CONFERENCES, 91% MET BENCHMARKS FOR SUCCESS. OUR NEWLY CREATED COMMUNITY STRATEGY TEAM INTEGRATES THE WORK OF THE ORGANIZATION RELATED TO COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND ADVOCACY. COMPRISED OF COMMUNITY ADVOCATES, ORGANIZERS, AND EDUCATORS, THIS TEAM'S WORK INCLUDES POLICY ADVOCACY AT THE CITY, STATE AND COUNTY LEVEL, COMMUNITY LEGAL EDUCATION, AND OUTREACH/ENGAGEMENT SO THAT COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE AWARE OF LRC'S SERVICES. IN 2021, LRC ENGAGED IN 47 COMMUNITY LEGAL EDUCATION PRESENTATIONS, REACHING 975 COMMUNITY MEMBERS. ADDITIONALLY, DURING DEREK CHAUVIN'S TRIAL FOR THE MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD THIS PROGRAM HOSTED VIRTUAL COMMUNITY EDUCATION FORUMS RELATED TO THE LEGAL SYSTEM AND ONLINE ASK-AN-ATTORNEY SESSIONS THAT REACHED COLLECTIVELY OVER 24,000 PEOPLE; PRODUCED EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS ON THE CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM THAT HAVE ALREADY REACHED OVER 4,500 PEOPLE; POSTED 12 BLOG POSTS PROVIDING DETAILED INFORMATION ON TRIAL RELATED ISSUES; AND CREATED A RESTORATIVE PROCESSING TOOLKIT TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDING AND DIALOGUE ABOUT THE TRIAL WHICH HAS BEEN DOWNLOADED OVER 450 TIMES AND WAS SHARED DIRECTLY WITH PARTNER SCHOOL DISTRICTS. ADDITIONALLY, DURING THE TRIAL, OUR TEAM ENGAGED IN EXTENSIVE KNOW YOUR RIGHTS TRAININGS ON THE GROUND AT PROTESTS, AS WELL AS TRAIN THE TRAINER ZOOM SESSIONS FOR INTERESTED ATTORNEYS AND LAW STUDENTS WHO WISHED TO SERVE AS ON THE GROUND TRAINERS.