Bill Text: NJ AR56 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Respectfully urges Office of Attorney Ethics to examine and audit actions of legal aid organizations.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Judiciary Committee [AR56 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-AR56-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman GERRY SCHARFENBERGER
District 13 (Monmouth)
SYNOPSIS
Respectfully urges Office of Attorney Ethics to examine and audit actions of legal aid organizations.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Assembly Resolution respectfully urging the Office of Attorney Ethics to examine and audit the actions of legal aid organizations.
Whereas, According to Pro bono NJ, every year one in three people living in poverty has one civil legal problem requiring the assistance of an attorney; and
Whereas, Legal aid organizations provide vital free legal services to low income and disadvantaged residents of the State; and
Whereas, Any legal aid attorney providing inadequate representation or acting in discriminatory or in other offensive ways toward their clients is particularly problematic as these clients may not have the option to be represented by another attorney within the organization and cannot afford outside alternative legal representation; and
Whereas, The Office of Attorney Ethics as the investigative and prosecutorial arm of the Supreme Court of New Jersey in discharging the Court's constitutional responsibility to supervise and discipline New Jersey attorneys can examine and audit the actions of these legal aid organizations to ensure that they are providing adequate services to the communities and individuals they represent; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This House respectfully urges the Office of Attorney Ethics to examine and audit the actions of legal aid organizations that provide pro bono work to low-income and disadvantaged residents of the State, in order to ensure that legal aid organizations that receive any State funding are providing adequate services to the communities and individuals they represent. In addition, this resolution respectfully urges the Office of Attorney Ethics to review, document, and investigate any complaints made by clients regarding mistreatment, threats, or sexual intimidation by their attorneys.
2. Copies of this resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly to the Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court and the Administrative Director of the Courts.
STATEMENT
This resolution urges the Office of Attorney Ethics (OAE) to examine and audit the actions of legal aid organizations that provide pro bono work to low-income and disadvantaged residents of the State, in order to ensure that legal aid organizations that receive any State funding are providing adequate services to the communities and individuals they represent. In addition, the OAE is urged to review, document, and investigate any complaints made by clients regarding mistreatment, threats, or sexual intimidation by their attorneys.
