Access to justice limited for poor, VU forum told

from the Post Tribune

By Jane Huh Post-Tribune staff writer

VALPARAISO -- Poverty and the law are intertwined.

Society, not lawyers, must commit to addressing the global problem to reduce poverty rates, said experts at Valparaiso University's two-day law school conference.

The law school's "Law, Poverty and Economic Inequality" conference began Thursday, bringing an international array of scholars and legal experts to the law school's Wesemann Hall.

Indiana Supreme Court Justice Robert Rucker, a Gary native; Judge D.M. Davis of the Cape Town Court in South Africa; Chief Magistrate Ian Gray of Victoria, Australia; Judge Bryanne Hamill of the New York State Family Court; and professor Andrea McArdle of CUNY Law School in New York shared a panel session.

They spoke about the court systems in their respective jurisdictions and the limitations of the impoverished population's access to justice.

Rucker highlighted the measures Indiana has taken toward enhancing judicial access for underrepresented and indigent clients.

Hamill spoke about the need for family courts to partner with local agencies to help young people with emotional, educational and economic hurdles.

"Poverty is the primary predictor of abuse and neglect," she said.

The conference is the first of its kind, said Penelope Andrews, visiting law professor who organized the two-day event.

Thursday's lectures reaffirmed Dino Pollock's notion of law as a mechanism to reduce the effects of economic inequality.

"(The panel discussions) show the possibilities and the limitations of the law," said Pollock, a third-year law student from Chicago.

"It takes political will and ultimately the will of the people," he said.

The conference, free and open to the public, continues today from 8:45 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. at Wesemann Hall, 656 S. Greenwich St.