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An annual tradition, Equal Access to Justice and APIL hosted a panel discussion at UNM School of Law on February 12th. Moderated by Professor Serge Martinez, our invited speakers explored the growing legal needs of underserved communities and how to get involved. Heartfelt gratitude to Judge David Herrera Urias; Rudy Sanchez, DNA People's Legal Services; Sonya Bellafant, New Mexico Legal Aid, and Celia Yapita, the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty. Thank you for sharing your experiences and encouraging UNM School of Law students to explore public interest law and engage in pro bono work! 
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 Equal Access to Justice's Leadership Committee is a committed group of attorneys, legal professionals and community leaders that represent law firms, in-house counsel and key community stakeholders. This volunteer team spearheads EAJ’s annual fundraising campaign & engages their peers, coworkers and employers to give back to the community by meaningfully supporting civil legal aid services for the most vulnerable in New Mexico. Please join them in giving generously this year. eaj-nm.org/donate
 Our friends at Singleton Schreiber, have generously made a $25,000 Matching Challenge. Equal Access to Justice supporters can double their impact and help unlock this game-changing match - but they need to donate before December 15th.! Every gift matters and will have 2x the impact! Donate online today by following this link. Or mail a check to: PO Box 25941, Albuquerque, NM 87125. Donations to Equal Access to Justice are a perfect way to fulfill your pro bono & professional obligations by supporting civil legal services!
 Our community mourns the loss of the Honorable Mark B. Mc Feeley. A memorial will be held on Friday, November 1, 2024 from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm at the Federal Courthouse, 333 Lomas Blvd NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102. If planning to attend, please arrive early to ensure time to pass through courthouse security. In lieu of flowers or gifts, donations may be made to Equal Access to Justice NM, which works to ensure that people of limited means can access legal advice and support: https://www.eaj-nm.org/donate.html or the Road Runner Food Bank: https://www.rrfb.org/give/give-funds/, which Mark supported throughout the years.
 Increase your impact by recommending a recurring grant to Equal Access to Justice through your existing donor advised fund. You may initiate your grant recommendation from your existing account by clicking here. Our tax ID number is 85-0437183. Any questions? Contact [email protected] or call (505) 339-8096.
 Thank you for stepping up and extending the reach of justice in our community! Your sense of fairness and generosity helped us raise over $410,000 to better support civil legal aid services in New Mexico. Join us in celebrating all the remarkable folks that made this possible. Follow this link to read Equal Access to Justice's 2023-24 Annual Report.
We are deeply grateful for our community's generous support and commitment to increasing access and fairness in the civil justice system. Thanks to the generosity of our Leadership Society Members and Defenders of Justice, this year's annual campaign raised over $410,000! This significantly increases our impact providing more unrestricted funding for our civil legal aid partners, New Mexico Legal Aid, the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty, and DNA People's Legal Services.  If you are involved in a class action case and are unable to distribute all the funds, consider designating Equal Access to Justice as a cy pres recipient. A great candidate for fulfilling a case's charitable objective, Equal Access to Justice is favorably considered by the courts to be an excellent choice for cy pres awards. By designating Equal Access to Justice, you ensure that the funds will be used as intended and significantly help fund vital civil legal services in New Mexico.   Judge Erin O'Connell, Rudy Sanchez (DNA People's Legal Services), Sonya Bellafant (New Mexico Legal Aid), and Maria Griego (the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty) were distinguished panelists at an event at UNM Law School co-sponsored by Equal Access to Justice and APIL on March 20. This marks the third consecutive year of collaboration, emphasizing outreach to UNM Law Students.
Judge Erin O’Connell opened the event with a presentation on the importance of civil legal services, emphasizing the need for them in New Mexico’s “legal desert.” For instance, 75% of low-income households face at least one legal problem, and 92% do not get any or enough legal help. For every 14,000 low-income individuals in New Mexico, there is only one NMLA attorney. Panelists addressed the critical significance of equal access to justice and the provision of legal services to underserved communities. With Professor Serge Martinez as the moderator, the panel explored vital topics surrounding legal equity and community empowerment. Watch the livestream recording.  Inspired by John Bigelow's challenge, dedicated supporter, Bruce Thompson, generously added another $5,000 to the match! Here's what he recently shared with us:
"Learning of John Bigelow’s generous matching challenge today snapped me out of my day-to-day legal work and caused me to reflect on some bigger things. John reminded me how important legal services are, both civil and criminal, for those who can’t afford it. So many around us lack the ability to stay clothed and housed, much less the means to protect themselves from unfair practices or to vindicate their basic rights in court. Equal Access to Justice provides one of the most basic essentials: dignity. To stand with John and all the others in support of this great project, I am joining him in providing another $5,000 to his matching challenge." Thank you! Donate to Equal Access to Justice before March 31st and your donation will matched dollar for dollar. Answer John and Bruce's $10,000 Matching Challenge and see what your generosity will inspire! Here's what inspired John Bigelow's challenge! “I was fortunate to work as a law clerk and then later as a lawyer in the Office of Economic Opportunity legal services offices in Alaska and California. Those experiences, along with my role as New Mexico’s chief public defender, brought home to me the importance of legal services – both civil and criminal – for those without the means to provide their own. It is now fifty years since the Legal Services Corporation formally recognized at a federal level the need to help provide civil legal services across the country. To emphasize the continued tremendous value of civil legal services and advocate for increased funding, I am providing this $5,000 matching challenge. Give generously before March 31st and your gift to Equal Access to Justice will be matched dollar for dollar. Donate today, and together, we can make a consequential impact in our community.” |
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