By Jen Coatsworth
The Philadelphia Bar Association was founded to uphold the pillars of our democracy, including respect for the rule of law and advancing the cause of equal access to justice. Every person who interacts with our court system should be able to do so with qualified counsel to help them navigate the complexities of the law.
More than 50 years ago, with its decision in Gideon v. Wainwright, the U.S. Supreme court extended the right to counsel to all criminal defendants. For civil litigants however, even in cases that involve fundamental rights, many are forced to appear before a judge or jury without the benefit of an attorney, and often against an opposing side with the resources to retain experienced counsel.
Fifteen years ago, Chancellor Sayde Ladov created the Bar Association’s Civil Gideon Task Force with the goal of leveling the playing field for civil defendants who were involved in cases involving evictions, foreclosures, custody and more. In that relatively short period of time, the Task Force has been able to help implement real change in the area of civil legal defense, positively impacting the lives of Philadelphians, particularly those from indigent or traditionally underserved groups.
Among the Task Force’s accomplishments:
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The Task Force has played a major role in City Council’s passage in 2019 of a right to counsel for low-income tenants facing eviction, along with the creation of the Eviction Prevention Project, which provides legal representation, financial counseling and other resources to tenants facing eviction, and the Eviction Diversion Program, which helps landlords and tenants find resolutions to housing disputes without having to go to court.
More recently, with the assistance of Hon. Lisa Rau (ret.), the Task Force has been involved in a multi-stakeholder effort to modernize and update debt collection policies and procedures in the Philadelphia courts.
For the next few issues, the Philadelphia Lawyer will run a series of articles focusing onthe Civil Gideon Task Force. In this issue, co-editor-in-chief Shelli Fedullo interviews Ladov about the Task Force’s origins. The spring issue will feature a Q&A with the Task Force’s past and future co-chairs discussing the Task Force’s history and the direction it will head and the issues it will be called to address in the future
We live in a time of political discontent, where it is often difficult for the different parties to come to consensus on much of anything. This creates a high degree of uncertainty about many things, including funding for civil legal aid. At the same time, the needs in underserved communities are greater than ever, straining the resources of agencies that are already stretched too thin with limited staff and volunteers. That is why it will be more important than ever that we find ways to act locally, and to bring together different stakeholders to find ways to pool our resources and provide help. With its track record of success, the Civil Gideon Task Force is uniquely positioned to play a key role.
As one of the nation’s poorest large cities, Philadelphia will feel the brunt of any changes at the federal and state level that limit legal aid or create greater challenges for indigent communities. We hope you will join us in continuing to push forward to advance the cause of equal access to justice for all.
Jen Coatsworth is 2024 Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association. You can email her at chancellor@philabar.org.
