ROCKFORD — Criminal defendants across the U.S. have a constitutional right to free, legal representation in court, but that’s not the case with civil matters such as divorce, child support or disputes between landlords and tenants.
As life-altering as those proceedings and their outcomes may be on the parties involved and their families, millions of people across the country often go without legal advice in civil cases, something the Rev. Ken Copeland, pastor of New Zion Missionary Baptist Church, hopes to change in Rockford with the introduction of Administer Justice.
Administer Justice, a Christian-based national nonprofit headquartered in Elgin, offers free legal services to those who cannot afford to hire lawyers.
“This is an opportunity for the church to offer hope and real help to people who have been priced out of our legal system,” said Copeland, who is also a lawyer.
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Copeland worked with members of his church and Administer Justice President and CEO Bruce Strom earlier this year to launch the New Zion Legal Clinic, which is run out of Copeland’s church on the city’s west side.
Area residents can meet with lawyers for free from 9 a.m. to noon on the second Saturday of each month at New Zion, 4747 W. Riverside Blvd., or virtually. Appointments are necessary and can be made online.
The 21-year-old organization is working with churches around the country to deploy free legal resources into communities of need.
“We actually have a good justice system, but not if you can’t access it,” Strom said. “Not if you can’t gain the information you need for basic services and for fundamental rights.”
New Zion member Bryanna Herron, owner of Rose Paralegal & Typing Services, has been a paralegal for 18 years, including 10 years working for Black and Jones Attorneys at Law, a personal injury and workers compensation law firm in Rockford.
She recently moved out of state, but thanks to virtual technology, she is still able to serve the clinic as its “justice champion,” a liaison between the church and the Administer Justice organization.
Like Copeland, she too knows of the need for more legal services in underserved communities.
“Oftentimes, I’ll get phone calls from people asking for legal advice, but I can’t give legal advice because I’m not an attorney,” she said. “But now, I have a resource where I can refer these people.”
Having the clinic based out of a church also helps with outreach and comfort levels, said Tamika Walker, one of the clinic’s volunteer attorneys.
“This is a more friendly way for people to access justice,” Walker said. “And it’s also faith-based, so some people may feel more comfortable going to a church, or some other facility like that versus an attorney’s office.”
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Walker said clients can explain what legal issue they are facing when they register online for services at the Administer Justice website.
“We have about three attorneys right now that work with the clinic every month, and we kind of triage and figure out what the issues are and try to adequately prepare for the clients before they come to see us so that we can try to have as much information as possible to give to them,” she said.
So far, the clinic has helped area residents with divorce filings, child support payments, landlord-tenant disputes and criminal record expungement.
“It’s really just about giving someone the information that they need,” Walker said. “They may not know how to access information for themselves, or that they don’t necessarily understand the information and need an attorney to speak with them about it and kind of break down what the law says and make it more digestible and understandable.”
Prairie State Legal Services first began offering free legal services in 1977 to low-income residents in Kane, Lake, McLean, Peoria and Winnebago counties. The agency has since expanded to 11 offices offering services in 36 northern and central Illinois counties.
While Administer Justice and Prairie State Legal Services have similar goals, they serve people differently.
“One of the main differences is Prairie State Legal will represent a person in court,” Walker said. “What the Administer Justice program does, we will meet with the client, and we will direct them where to go or direct them to forms or even potentially other agencies, but we don’t typically represent someone in court or enter an appearance on their behalf.”
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Copeland said he was attracted to the Administer Justice program because it goes beyond offering legal advice.
“We pray for people,” he said. “And then we follow up to make sure that they are following up on the plan that the attorney laid out for them.”
If possible, Copeland said attorneys also will try to address the root cause of the legal issue, such as someone being laid off from their job causing them to fall behind in their rent and now they face eviction.
While a lawyer can help with an eviction notice, New Zion may be able to help the client work on their resume and get another job.
“It’s holistic,” Copeland said. “It’s not just legal help.”
New Zion is the first church in Rockford to adopt the Administer Justice program, but as many as 10 more have been personally contacted by Copeland to establish legal clinics of their own.
“Ideally, what I would like to try to do is sort of a Walgreens model,” he said. “Where I stand right now, I can get to three different Walgreens in less than 10 minutes. That’s what I would like to see happen with this where we can get enough clinics here in Rockford so that regardless of where you live, you can get to a clinic easily.”
Chris Green: cgreen@rrstar.com; @chrisfgreen
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