Ensuring Equal Justice Initiative Launch
On March 20, 2009, the Miami Dade County Public Defender (PD-11)
officially launched the "Ensuring Equal Justice Pro Bono
Initiative," (EEJI) the innovative pro bono initiative created by
Public Defender Carlos J. Martinez. Based upon public-private
partnerships, it aims to connect the office with civil and other law
firms and create a corps of volunteers to assist our clients and the
community at large.
As part of his community outreach, Public Defender Martinez
turned to the private firms with his vision for a project that could
enhance our indigent clients’ access to justice and help us comply
with our ethical obligations. Public Defender Martinez envisioned
individuals (lawyers and lay people), law firms, private enterprise
and retirees working together to achieve our goals. The project
began taking shape when the Public Defender met Angela Vigil, Baker & McKenzie’s
Director of Pro Bono and Public Service-North America, and the firms
that are part of the Miami Pro Bono Roundtable, to map out the first
phase of the initiative, which focuses on direct client representation.
Designed to reduce the caseloads of the Assistant Public
Defenders and our backlog of cases, the direct representation phase
began in December 2008, with volunteer attorneys from Baker &
McKenzie, Greenberg Traurig, Hogan & Hartson, Hughes, Hubbard & Reed, Jorden Burt,
and Shook, Hardy & Bacon. With training and technical assistance from
the office, the volunteer attorneys represent Public Defender
clients in the County Court Division. Since the program’s inception,
more than 48 cases have been assigned. Through the misdemeanor
project, pro bono attorneys commit to:
- Complete mandatory training (not required for
experienced criminal defense attorneys);
- At least one misdemeanor trial case;
and
- Primary case responsibility for pre-trial discovery,
motion practice, depositions, trials, plea negotiations, and
post-trial sentencing advocacy.
Our pro bono attorneys hail from international private law firms,
medium-sized firms, and solo practitioner offices. Our pilot phase has been a success and these
private firm attorneys have gained meaningful experience in
litigating misdemeanor cases.
In addition, building on former Public Defender Bennett Brummer’s tradition of
encouraging private firms to help support our systemic litigation and
individual APDs faced with contempt, the Ensuring Justice Initiative
counts on the generous support of Hogan & Hartson in our excessive
caseload litigation.
As part of our
project’s expansion and with the FACDL’s assistance, we are now
assigning Felony Division cases to experienced criminal defense
attorneys.
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