Community-Oriented Lawyering & Drug Courts

  These two overlap since many community-oriented  lawyering projects have to do with instituting drug treatment courts. In community-oriented lawyering, the lawyer works with other professionals in the community, using the legal system as one of the tools, to address an issue in the community from a broader perspective. Instead of looking at one client's issue, the lawyer looks for what is the community's issue that has led the client to involvement with the legal system. The website for community lawyering is www.communitylawyer.org.

     Drug treatment courts are non-adversarial courts with the focus being on substance abuse and treatment. A team including counsel, judge, probation officer, treatment workers, etc. work with the client toward recovery and reducing recidivism. Full communication is the norm. All aspects of the participant's life are addressed in the plan.  There are now hundreds of drug treatment courts in the United States. For an extensive listing of programs around the country, go to American University in Washington, DC.

See http://www.neighborhoodlaw.org/page/122224&cat_id=1349     

 

 Below are some of the links from the Community Lawyering site:

National District Attorneys Association

Center for Court Innovation

Judicial Council of California

National Association of Drug Court Professionals

National Center for State Courts

Project for the Future of Equal Justice Holistic Services Project

Center for the Community Interest

Community Law Center

Community Legal Resources Network

National Association for Public Interest Law

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