Clinton School Students to Partner with Commission for Economic Benefit Study

A team of four Clinton School of Public Services will be partnering with the Arkansas Access to Justice Commission during the 2013-02014 academic year to perform a study on the economic benefits of civil legal aid, according to a press release issued by the school earlier this week. Rebekah Tucci (Lakeland, Fla.), Paola Cavallari (Termoli, Italy), Matt Devlin (Silver Spring, Md.), and Hannah Michow-Proffitt (Annapolis, Md.), will conduct the study, which the Commission will use to educate policymakers and funders regarding how access to civil legal services can augment public and private efforts to provide low-income Arkansans with access to healthcare, affordable housing, education, economic security and family stability.

“Access to legal representation often makes the difference between poverty and self-sufficiency for a family that is living on the edge,” said the Commission’s Executive Director, Amy Johnson. This study will help us make the case that legal aid is a good investment.”

“These projects are a wonderful opportunity for our students to practice the skills they are developing at the Clinton School,” said Marie Lindquist, director of field service education. “We are appreciative of our community partners throughout Arkansas who are involved in outstanding public service work and mentor our students in that work.” The study will build on findings from a previous Clinton School field project that focused on a comprehensive legal needs assessment of the low-income community, according to Johnson.