Nearly 70 faculty, staff members and students attended a listening conference Wednesday hosted by the Illinois Commission on Access to Justice. The focus was improving access to the court system throughout the state. The event took place in Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Founders Hall.
The standing room only crowd prompted organizers to open another room for attendees. Another 20 people took part in the conference virtually through the SIU Carbondale School of Law.
There were two panel discussions held during the three-and-a-half hour program. The first panel covered the topic “Access to Justice Needs, Challenges and Responses in the Fifth Appellate District.” Afterwards, attendees discussed issues laypeople face when navigating the court system. They talked about measures currently being taken to increase support through advocacy—particularly to the poor, the elderly and victims of domestic violence.
Panelists for the first topic included Chief Judge Stephen G. Sawyer of Wabash County, Joan Spiegel of Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance, and Margarette Trushel of Oasis Women’s Center. The moderator was Commissioner Timothy W. Kelly of the Commission on Access to Justice.
“It’s a scary process spoken in a language they don’t understand,” Trushel said of the experience many people encounter when they step into the court system with no legal background or help.
Because of the recession and economic downturn, more people than ever are encountering legal issues, said Spiegel. Land of Lincoln is a non-profit corporation that was established in 1972 and serves 65 Illinois counties. It provides legal help to lower-income individuals and families.
“People are presented with more complex legal issues than ever before,” Spiegel said. “We are seeing more foreclosures, and the number of senior citizens in our country is increasing dramatically. They don’t have enough income and assets to support themselves.”
Spiegel suggested that lawyers looking for experience should work with Land of Lincoln and like agencies to assist those without access to attorneys.
“That way this population will have a better understanding of the system and a better experience overall,” she said.
The topic of the second panel was “Looking Ahead at Innovative Programs to Help Meet the Need in the Fifth Appellate District.” Panelists included Woody Thorne from Southern Illinois Hospital, Russell K. Scott from Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C., which has offices in St. Louis, Chicago and Belleville, and SIU School of Law Assistant Dean Mike Ruiz. The moderator was Judge and Commissioner Debra B. Walker from the Commission on Access to Justice.
A wrap up and closing remarks were made by Danielle Hirsch, executive director of the Commission on Access to Justice.
Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride said the idea for the Commission came from the Illinois Coalition for Equal Justice. Kilbride attended the event with Justice Lloyd A. Karmeier and members of the Commission on Access to Justice.
The SIUE Listening Conference was one in a series of five events held across the state to address lack of access to justice. Each conference was designed to focus on a Supreme Court appellate district. The first three were held at Bradley University in Peoria, Northern Illinois University in DeKalb and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The final conference will take place at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago on Thursday, June 13.