By Mary Lackie

To give the poor their day in court, the Atlanta Legal Aid Society was founded 43 years ago with a $500 grant from the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.

The man with limited or not financial means is handicapped in his ability to use the law. “The poor have to be protected,” said Mrs. Nancy Cheves, general counsel for the society. With a minimum staff, seven lawyers, and volunteers from the Junior League, the society handled 11,411cases in 1966. “Rain and sleet do not keep our clients away,” said Mrs. Cheves.

The society handles civil cases for those without funds to employ counsel. Nearly one-half of the cases involve domestic problems, Mrs. Cheves said. To qualify for assistance, a client must meet certain eligibility requirements: $200 a month net income for one person, with an allowance of $20 a month net income or each dependent. The society considers assets owned by the applicant, and special emergencies—illness in the family, garnishment, child care payments.

“We do not file suit for amounts over $100,” Mrs. Cheves said, “but we will defend any indigent client against any amount.’ Sometimes a case which appears worthless may result in financial gain for our clients, she said.

Qualified clients are interviewed by student “interns.” Emory University law school seniors have participated in a Legal Aid Clinic program since 1963. The students are required to complete 30 hours’ work at the legal aid offices. This year about 100 will participate. If the student has been admitted to the bar, he may try a case with a legal aid attorney. “Most of these young men who have gone through the clinic will always remember the people in the waiting room,” said Mrs. Cheves.

“You don’t cut class when you are a lawyer,” said Michael W. Broadbear, recalling his work with the legal aid clinic.” You learn to think like a lawyer and to act like a lawyer. You realize that there are bad people in the world—a collector who comes out in the night with a gun, and says ‘Here, I want my ten dollars.’”

You realize that domestic relations isn’t just a simple marriage and divorce situation. The hardest thing to learn is that your brilliant theories about the law are inapplicable to real life experiences. So one learns to temper judgment with real life experience,” he said.

F. Tredway Shurling, senior law student in the program said, “Half the people I have talked to just need common sense advice. They need someone to tell them how to protect themselves. This common sense advice is passed around to others who need it.” Shurling believes the program has given him incentive to pass his bar exams so that he will gain actual courtroom experience with legal aid before his graduation.

“Most indigents have a poor credit rating and are exploited because of their ignorance,” said Bob Smith. His experience in the legal aid clinic has given him an awareness of “loopholes” in the law that permit people to take advantage of indigents. For example, on the last day before going to court, a client will come in with a default judgment. The paper says he owes money—but the client doesn’t have any idea of how much money he owes.”

“Anyone who works down there feels an obligation to help. It is eye-opening to see the total ignorance of the people who come into the office. Many of them have never seen the law working for them before, and it takes away some of their hopelessness,” Smith said.

Before he began work with the clinic, Bob Lake said, “I was aware in a vague sort of way that these situations existed. I definitely would volunteer time in the future to help. It is the duty of a lawyer to help those who can’t afford counsel.”

Harry L. DeLung, Jr. spent the summer working as a clerk with the society. The Emory University law senior said, “Georgia laws discriminate against the poor both actively and passively. The laws governing, relations between creditor-merchants and debtor-consumers leave the low-income client against legal abuses, provided the client seeks counsel at an early point in his difficulties.”

“The law is passively discriminatory because it assumes in most cases that all citizens can protect themselves against legal abuse, and then it fails to provide the poor with access to legal defense. The legal aid society is the only recourse for the poor,” DeLung said.

Implemented by funds from the United Appeal and under a new contract with the EOA, the society is now able to provide expanded services to the poor. It was the first in the nation to prepare educational material for distribution to neighborhood centers. The book, “ABC’s of Law” was used as a teaching aid with personnel at the centers, and has been sent to all legal aid offices in the country.