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By Aric PressTime for Equal JusticeMayson speaking atthe American Lawyerawards dinner in 2009Every year at about this time I receive a report (and a thank-you note) from one of the EqualJustice Works fellows that ALM, the parent company of The American Lawyer, supports. Theseare bracing and satisfying moments. On one level this is personal: We help some terrific younglawyers start their careers. My grandmother wouldhave called my reaction kvelling. But on anotherlevel, this is patriotic, even philosophical: By underwritingtheir two-year projects, we help support andextend the rule of law to those who otherwise wouldbe left outside our system.At the moment, we fund two splendid younglawyers: one in Pittsburgh, who helps foster carechildren receive their statutorily guaranteed educations,and the other in North Carolina, who is battlingagainst state laws that limit theability of ex-felons to get jobs in a hostof trades. A third fellow, Sandra Mayson,finished her two years at the NewOrleans Office of Public Defenders(OPD) last autumn. She’s now boundfor a Third Circuit clerkship. Here’s anexcerpt from her summary report:My fellowship project aimed to help theOPD improve representation of immigrantsarrested in New Orleans and charged withcrimes, particularly immigrant workerswho came to rebuild the city after Katrina.In two years I saw thousands of very poorpeople—overwhelmingly young black men, with growingnumbers of Latino immigrants—shuttled througha system dedicated to producing efficient convictions.I represented 495 of them. Some of my clients werestunned and traumatized by police abuse. Others expectedit. Rich people made bond; poor people sat in jail.In jail, violence and illness ran rampant. Medical carewas practically nonexistent. . . .In that environment, immigrants are among themost vulnerable and the most isolated. Your supporthas allowed me, for the last two years, to help ensurebasic justice for noncitizens and non–English speakersarrested in Orleans Parish. It is not fertile territoryfor success: I met most of my clients in jail, and ouraim was to avoid catastrophe. . . . Before my fellowship,Spanish speakers could languish in jail for weeks afterarrest with no idea what was happening and no meansof communicating with the outside world. I was able,with Liman Fellow Benjamin Plener, to create andlaunch OPD’s Pre-Trial Services program, includinga volunteer-staffed language access corps to ensure interpretationand advocacy support for noncitizens andnon–English speakers in jail. . . . I will never forgethow grateful my Spanish-speaking clients were simplyto be able to talk to me. I will never forget the man I’llcall Pablo, who could have gotten out of jail by takinga plea but instead sat in jail for seven months ratherthan plead guilty to a burglary he did not commit,only to have the judge, on the day of trial, grant prosecutorsan additional continuance because they weren’tprepared. On that day a desperate Pablo did pleadguilty, albeit to a misdemeanor trespass. He was goingto immigration detention regardless so, as he put it, “IfI lose, I lose; and if I win, I lose.”There were triumphs, too. There were three heartstoppingmoments when I stood with a client andheard the jury foreperson say “not guilty.” One of thoseclients had faced a ten-to-40-year prison sentence if welost; another, 20-to-life. (Of four jury trials, I lost one.That client was eligible for probation.)It was an honor and a privilege to represent myclients, and to work alongside the tireless defenders atOPD. So long as we incarcerate more of our populationthan any other country in the world (and NewOrleans more than any other U.S. city), it will be aformidable challenge to ensure effective representationto all. But unless we do, we make a farce of the notionthat all are equal before the law, and the SixthAmendment will not live.Like most of you, we at ALM believe in the SixthAmendment and are grateful for the opportunity toshow our support. For the law firms and corporationswho support Equal Justice Works, that is rewardenough. It doesn’t have to stop there. Overthe last few years, EJW has developed a program ofcosponsorships for law firms and their clients. Since2010, there have been 18 partnerships that not onlysupported an EJW fellow but also strengthened lawfirm–client ties. It’s a business strategy: doing wellby doing good. And a chance to kvell.Press, ALM’s editor in chief, can be reached at apress@alm.com.ROB RICH (MAYSON); MATT GREENSLADE (PRESS)106 March 2012 | americanlawyer.com