To Preserve the Past
To Serve the Present
To Enhance the Future
National Equal Justice Library
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Washington College of Law 4801 Massachusetts Ave. N.W. Washington, D.C. 20016
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Equal Justice Update
A website of the National Equal Justice Library
The NATIONAL EQUAL JUSTICE LIBRARY is --
The first and only library-museum dedicated to commemorating and advancing the nation's on-going struggle to fulfill the promise of equal justice for all.
A joint project of the American Bar Association, the American Association of Law Libraries, the National Legal Aid and Defender Association, and American University's Washington College of Law.
Located in the nation's capital and occupies its own space at American University's Washington College of Law.
Includes a reading room, a media center, a museum and an archival storage room.
Conducts many programs and activities that reach across the country -- and beyond.
For an overview of the Library's facilities and programs click on "Introduction to National Equal Justice Library" below and for a detailed description see "Annual Reports", also below.
THIS WEBSITE WAS CONSTRUCTED USING FRONTPAGE 2000 AND SOME OF ITS PAGES APPEAR MORE ACCURATELY IN INTERNET EXPLORER THAN NETSCAPE AND SOME OTHER BROWSERS. If you have the option it is suggested you use Internet Explorer to access the website.
NEW LINK to Gary Bellow memorial website! This past April the National Equal Justice Library co-sponsored the creation of a website to honor the life and career of the late Professor Gary Bellow of Harvard -- one of America's most creative lawyers and legal educators who pioneered both the legal services program and the modern system of clinical education. The website was assembled by Richard Zorza and can be reached here.
CURRENT INFORMATION ABOUT THE LIBRARY AND ITS ACTIVITIES
A brief overview of the Library's several programs including the Historical Archives, the domestic book collection, the international book collection, the historical displays, the "Wall of Justice," the book and article awards, the two websites, educational materials, and special conferences and programs.
The most recent annual report issued in 2001 which describes the Library's goals, programs and accomplishments from its opening in September, 1997 through the end of 2000 -- and also discusses its plans for the future.
Brief reviews of books on civil legal services for the poor, indigent defense, public interest law, and other topics related to the subject of equal access to justice.
Quotations taken from the speeches and publications of political leaders, judges, legal aid and bar leaders, lawyers, historians, philosophers, and others reflecting on the subject of equal justice and our struggle toward that ideal.
The largest section of this website, it is devoted to developments in countries outside the United States related to the pursuit of equal justice for all. Many of these nations have invested far more resources than the U.S. in the provision of free or government-subsidized legal counsel to their low and moderate income citizens. The Library's International Legal Aid Collection and this section of the "Equal Justice Update" website are designed to be useful to scholars, policymakers, and others interested in this field from any country in the world, not just the United States.
Comparative legal aid statistics
Statistics comparing national legal aid programs in selected countries.
Decisions from international and national courts affecting the right to counsel and the availability of justice to low and moderate income people in various parts of the world.
Lists of Library's holdings about other nations' legal aid programs
Bibliographies of books, articles, government reports and other materials in the Library's International Legal Aid Collection describing and analyzing the legal aid programs of other nations. The first such list on the website covers the legal aid programs of the United Kingdom (England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) and Ireland.
Other nations' legal aid programs
Descriptions, budgetary data, and caseload statistics from the national legal aid programs in some countries and links to nearly 75 websites maintained by legal aid programs in other nations.
Provides information about the Library's permanent historical display which is located in the reading room of the National Equal Justice Library at American University's Washington College of Law (see address below and also in the upper left of this page). It also has an illustration of a portable historical display the Library has made available for conferences elsewhere in the country.
Describes the Reginald Heber Smith Book Award, the Edgar and Jean Cahn Article Award, and the John Bradway Special Award, all given for distinguished publications on the general subject of equal access to justice. Contains information about the independent selection committee, the first awardees, and how to nominate publications for the 2000-2001 award cycle.
As one of the National Equal Justice Library's special projects, it is collecting information from and about the approximately 2300 individuals whom the Reginald Heber Smith Fellowship program recruited to serve the poor from 1967-83. This elite corps of lawyers soon became known as "Reggies" and while many remained in legal services, others went on to prominence in other fields, becoming governors, congressmen, cabinet members, law school deans and professors, and excelling many other fields. This section includes news about the "Reggie Reunion" held at the Library's host institution, Washington College of Law, recollections from "Reggies" about their experiences during and after the fellowship, and an online registration form to assist other alumni in joining nearly 1500 "Reggies" already in the Library's data base.
The National Equal Justice Library maintains two websites. The website you are now viewing and a second website [http://nejl.wcl.american.edu] which is maintained on a webserver operated by American University. The latter emphasizes the Library's publication and archival collections, and other features, such as the "Wall of Justice," housed at the Library itself. The website you are now viewing -- Equal Justice Update -- is maintained on a commercial webserver. Although there may be some overlap, it focuses primarily on programs not covered on the other website which reach beyond the walls of the Library's physical facility as well as on items which require constant updating.
Some important sections of the main website can be reached directly by clicking on the links below---
You can search the entire Equal Justice Update website by entering in the window below the word or words you expect would appear in the article or paragraph you are looking for.
How to Contact the National Equal Justice Library
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To explore other features of the NATIONAL EQUAL JUSTICE LIBRARY including it's ARCHIVES of historical papers, it's "WALL OF JUSTICE", it's ORAL HISTORY PROJECT, it's BOARD OF DIRECTORS, and its COLLECTIONS of books and articles, VISIT THE LIBRARY'S OTHER WEBSITE AT AMERICAN UNIVERSITY'S WASHINGTON COLLEGE OF LAW. This website can be reached at --- http://nejl.wcl.american.edu
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The Library staff can be reached by e-mail at mailto:nejl@wcl.american.edu
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The NATIONAL EQUAL JUSTICE LIBRARY is sustained entirely by private donations and grants. Financial donations should be made to the Library's non-profit support organization, the "Consortium for the National Equal Justice Library" which is a District of Columbia non-profit corporation. All donations are tax deductible as permitted by the terms of IRS section 501(c)(3). The donations should be mailed to the Library's archivist at the following address:
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Robert Forman, Archivist
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National Equal Justice Library
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Washington College of Law-American University
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4801 Massachusetts Ave. N.W.
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Washington, D.C. 20016
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The NATIONAL EQUAL JUSTICE LIBRARY is interested in acquiring historically relevant private papers from any individual or institution that has been involved in the history of legal aid, indigent criminal defense, the OEO Legal Services Program, the Legal Services Corporation, local legal services or legal aid organizations, public defender offices or other defender programs, or other efforts to bring justice to lower income people. The Library also is interested in acquiring books, articles, annual reports, studies, and other published materials on these subjects. It is further interested in acquiring research materials scholars may have compiled in the course of researching books or articles on these topics. If you wish to donate such materials to the National Equal Justice Library, please send them to the Library's Archivist, Robert Forman, at the above address. If you wish to discuss the possibility of such a donation or to discuss any other topic with Mr. Forman, please call (202) 274-4320 or fax (202) 274 -4365 or e-mail rforman@wcl.american.edu.
Last updated November 3, 2001