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Justice in Any Language

Justice in Any Language. Moriah Nelson, Language Access Fellow Volunteer Lawyers Project & Massachusetts Language Access Coalition. Language Access in Pro Bono Statewide Coalition Building & Language Access Advocacy. Volunteer Lawyers Project of the Boston Bar Association.

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Justice in Any Language

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  1. Justice in Any Language Moriah Nelson, Language Access Fellow Volunteer Lawyers Project & Massachusetts Language Access Coalition

  2. Language Access in Pro Bono • Statewide Coalition Building & Language Access Advocacy

  3. Volunteer Lawyers Project of the Boston Bar Association • Established in 1977 by the Boston Bar Association • LSC Funded - $2 million budget • Serves Greater Boston Area • Legal Advocacy and Resource Center does intake, information and referrals. • 16 staff members: ED, 8 attorneys, 3 paralegals and 3 admin staff • Panel of about 900 volunteer attorneys, paralegals and law students • Types of Cases: • Housing: eviction private and public and both landlord and tenant, affirmative conditions, transfers, home ownership including foreclosure prevention • Family: divorce and paternity, child support including downward modifications for certain obligors; adoption • Probate: guardianship of minors and incapacitated adults; trusts and estate issues including probating of estates, health care proxies • Consumer: Chapter 7 and 13 bankruptcy, consumer practices (Fair Debt Collection Act Practices, Chapter 93A etc) • Employment: unemployment, MCAD • www.vlpnet.org

  4. Court Clinics LARC Intake Referrals Special Projects VLP staff meets with client, assess case for referral or provides brief assistance, prepares referral memo. Referral Coordinator Volunteer Attorney LEP Client Interpreter VLP Case Flowchart • Training • Mentoring • Technical Assistance

  5. VLP LEP Population • MA ranked 8th largest LEP population in US at 8.8% • 14.5% of MA residents are foreign born • MA has second highest native-born LEP population (Puerto Rico is first) • 72% of MA LEP population is in Greater Boston • About 15% of VLP clients are LEP • Most common languages of VLP clients: • Spanish (over 50% of VLP’s LEP clients) • Haitian Creole • Cantonese • Vietnamese

  6. How does VLP ensure that LEP clients have the same opportunity to receive pro bono services as English speaking clients? Organization Priority VLP LEP Working Group Policy, Plan & Procedures Interpreters & Translators Training Leveraging Volunteers

  7. 1. Organization Priority • Commitment to serving LEP clients equally • VLP only pro bono program in MA that provides and pays for qualified interpreters in every case. • Title VI is an unfunded mandate • Operating cost – like the light bill • Line item for language services in budget • Include language access in grant proposals • LSC, Mifflin Memorial Fund, Boston Bar Foundation • Hire qualified bilingual staff

  8. 2. VLP LEP Working Group • Executive Director support • Formed in 2011 • Identify barriers and ways to increase access • Signage in office • Spanish speaking staff at court clinics and access to phone interpreter • Survey LEP clients • Time study • YouTube Training Channel • Translated Document Bank • Trainings

  9. 3. Policy, Plan & Procedures • VLP Language Access Plan & Protocol • Tools: • DOJ Assessment & Planning Tool for Federally Assisted Programs • Language Access Checklist • Creating a More Language Accessible Legal Services Practice

  10. 4. Interpreters & Translators • Create accessible list of qualified interpreters and translators • LOTUS Notes – list qualifications & skills (i.e. translation) • Quality Control • Application/Initial Screening • Meeting/Interview with Referral Coordinator • Interpreter Protocol & Code of Ethics (2006) • Phone Interpreters – Optimal Phone Interpreters • $35/hour oral interpretation • $40/page written translation

  11. 5. Training • Annual VLP Staff Training • Working with an Interpreter • Language Access Plan & Protocol • Language Access Issues in Case Handling • Interpreter Skills Building Training • Bilingual Staff • Privately Contracted Interpreters • Working with an Interpreter & Representing a LEP Client • Volunteer Attorneys & Law Students

  12. 6. Leveraging Volunteers & Resources • Translation of Documents • Pro bono translation firm • Volunteer translators • Pay for proofreading • Bilingual AmeriCorps Volunteers • Bilingual Law Student or Grad Student Interns • Partnerships with Community Based Organizations • Pro bono interpretation using law firm language resources • FREE Training Resources: staff, online, local experts, etc. • Interpreter Training Program interns and other resources

  13. Language Access in Pro Bono • Statewide Coalition Building & Language Access Advocacy

  14. Language Access Coalition • The Language Access Coalition (LAC) is a group of legal advocates across Massachusetts interested in language access issues in: 1. Legal Service Organizations 2. State Agencies 3. Courts LAC works to advance the rights of limited English proficient clients in these forums. • Formed in 2010 • Meet on 1st Monday of each month • Statewide listserv

  15. 1. Legal Service Organizations • Liaison from each LSO to LAC • Language Access Plan & Protocol • Statewide Telephonic Interpreter Contract • Annual Training/Conference on Language Access Issues • Interpreter Skills Building Training for bilingual staff and contracted interpreters • MassLegalServices.org Resource Library

  16. www.MassLegalServices.org

  17. 2. State Agencies • Develop relationship with Office of Access and Opportunity • Administration & Finance Bulletin #16 • Post Language Access Plans on MLS • Submit Complaints to Agencies • Written comment for revision of Bulletin #16 • Advocate for statewide meeting of agency Language Access Coordinators

  18. 3. State Courts • Develop relationship with Office of Court Interpreter Services & MA Trial Court Personnel • Letter to 5 representatives who went to NCSC Language Access Summit and follow up meetings • SJI Grant to implement ABA Standards in a Model Language Access Courthouse • Accessibility in Clerk’s Office – Pilot at Suffolk Probate and Family Court

  19. www.MassLegalHelp.org

  20. Finding Collaborators • Access to Justice Commission • Pro Bono Managers of Firms • Community Based Organizations • Interpreters & Translators • Other Ideas??

  21. Resources • www.lep.gov • N-LAAN Listserv – www.probono.net/nlaan • N-LAAN List of State Language Access Groups • www.masslegalservices.org/languageaccess

  22. Questions? Moriah Nelson Language Access Fellow Volunteer Lawyers Project 99 Chauncy Street, Suite 400 Boston, MA 02111 (617) 423-0648 x 138 mnelson@vlpnet.org

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