Talking Justice: The Latest on LSC’s A2J Podcast
It has been just over a year since I started co-hosting LSC’s Talk Justice podcast, and I want to take a moment and reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re going.
For context, I’m a law school grad who has focused primarily on criminal justice reform since 2012. This is to say, I’m relatively new to the ins and outs of civil legal aid and civil justice advocacy. That is one major reason why I jumped at the opportunity to co-host Talk Justice with LSC President Ron Flagg, I wanted to know more about civil justice and the people working hard to improve it.
And at its core, that is what Talk Justice seeks to do: shine a light on the importance of civil legal aid and the people making a difference within it. In a country awash in TV procedurals, like Law & Order, true crime documentaries, and news coverage of crime rates, it has never been a more important time to introduce people to what is happening on the other side of the docket.
The shows that I host are a mix of topics I want to discuss, which are usually data and technology focused, and more expansive ideas that come from Carl Rauscher, LSC’s director of communications. It should come as no surprise, even as much as I love talking about data and tech, that I learn the most from the show topics that Carl recommends.
For me, there’s no better example than our March 11 show on medical-legal partnerships. If you don’t know — like I didn’t before preparing for the show — a medical-legal partnership is when a health care provider acts as a legal aid referral for patients that have legal needs. For example, if a patient comes in with a respiratory problem and treatment doesn’t resolve the medical issue, pairing the patient with a legal aid attorney can help find underlying problems with a legal remedy, like a rental apartment with untreated mold, and resolve them.
Our panelists spoke about the creation, administration and impact of these programs — of which there are 450 around the country — with great detail. Having guests on that are on the front line of civil legal aid issues provides resources and lessons learned from those doing it. Collectively, I hope that this combination of introducing a big idea and getting into the weeds helps those new and old to legal aid learn and grow.
Looking forward, conversations like this will continue in the second year of Talk Justice. In the near term, we will be speaking with advocates, lawyers and technologists helping low-income people stay connected to the justice system in an increasingly digital world during a pandemic.
Beyond that, we want to hear from you. We have a great new partnership with the Legal Talk Network, which will help us share these episodes with a larger audience. So, let us know about work you or colleagues are doing that deserves a closer look. You can find me on Twitter or email me.
In the meantime, please continue to let us know how we are doing. If you haven’t yet, please subscribe to Talk Justice wherever you listen to podcasts. I’m excited to share more great work in civil legal aid with you all soon.
