CBA Record February-March 2019

Chicago Bar Foundation Report

The 2019 Investing in Justice Campaign Justice People Deserve, Not Just What They Can Afford

By Laura Hernandez CBF Intern A ccess to justice has the potential to be the most transformative force in a person’s life but may also prove to be the most elusive as well. In a nation that prides itself on principles of “Liberty and Justice for All”, we ought not to settle for anything less. However, the reality today is that countless individuals are effectively barred from accessing this fundamental right because they can’t afford legal help— and often at the moment in their lives when they desperately need it most. The profession of law is widely under- stood as the practice of helping others. Lawyers act as protectors of justice, fighting for their clients’ access to a system promis- ing fairness and equity. However, so many individuals in desperate need of such an advocate never have the chance to access one simply because they do not possess the funds necessary to do so. Lawyers help people. Why should that service be restricted to only the few who To learnmore about the Chicago Bar Foun- dation’s Investing in Justice Campaign, go to www.chicagobarfoundation.org/ campaign.

Campaign is all about. Research demonstrates that having access to a lawyer and/or a legal professional can make all the difference in so many cases brought forth by vulnerable and disadvan- taged people in our community.

have the privilege to afford it? Justice for all should never be conditional on the amount of available funds at someone’s disposal. Therefore, we ought not to be content to stand by and let it become so, and that is what the Investing in Justice

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