Getting legal resources to low-income litigants is a major struggle both nationally and on Hoosier soil. According to the Legal Services Corporation 2022 Justice Gap Report, low-income Americans do not get any or enough legal help for 92% of their substantial civil legal problems.
Wabash College junior Cooper Smith, who has interned with legal organizations and has plans to become an attorney, has earned a Harry S. Truman Scholarship, one of just 58 undergraduates across the country selected for the national fellowship award.
Stenciled on the back wall of the Expungement Help Desk run by the Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic is a reminder that many who come looking to move forward with their lives often photograph and post on their Facebook pages. The message reads: “Don’t look back, you’re not going that way.” As it begins another search for a new executive director almost two years after hiring its previous leader, Amy Horton, the clinic may need to keep that affirmation in mind.