The Work of the New York Legal Aid Society.

313

THE WORK OF THE NEW YORK LEGAL AID SOCIETY. BY WADDILL CATCHINGS. FEW law offices have a practice greater and more diversified than that of the New York Legal Aid Society. Nearly six teen thousand people were given legal as sistance during the past year. Sixty-seven different nationalities were represented among these. When the Society was organ ized twenty-five years ago by some German philanthropists in New York City, its assist ance was confined to German immigrants. The need for such a society among all classes 'of the poor was so evident that this limitation was soon removed. The Society does not conduct a volunteer charitable bureau, but a practical business law office. In addition to the main office on Broadway there are three branches, one on the East Side, in the building of the Univer sity Settlement, one for sailors, on State street, and the third, principally for the bene fit of women, up town on Tenth avenue. The entire time of twelve attorneys and a large force of stenographers and clerks is required to carry on the work. The money to support the Society is re ceived largely from the seven hundred or more members, but to a certain extent from the contributions of persons taking a passing interest in the work. The clients, too, pay something, for the assistance is not entirely free. Three kinds of payments are required— a retaining fee of twenty-five cents (a neces sary protection against frivolous claims), the court fees, and a commission of ten per cent. on all sums recovered in excess of five dol lars. These payments are not always in sisted upon, for when they would cause hard ship, the office is said to "advance" them. The exaction of these small charges is part of the general policy of the Society to keep the charitable nature of the work as far in the background as possible, and to secure

the general atmosphere of an ordinary law office. Cases are undertaken, as a general thing, without regard to the character of the applicant, but wholly on their legal merit. Charitable persons and societies daily send worthy people to the Society, but the offices are open to all who desire to apply. There are only two limitations—the client must be unable to pay a lawyer and must have a valid cause of action which affords reasonable as surance of success. When a case is under taken, every effort is made to maintain be tween the office and the client the relation ship which would exist if the client paid for the work. This is as it should be, for in fact the work is paid for, although the client pays but a small part. The work of the Society includes all the steps required in the ordinary practice of the law. In many cases, advice or the drawing up of formal papers, is all that the clients need. Whenever necessary, cases are carried to actual trial and judgment even in the high est courts. In a surprisingly large number of cases, however, the Society accomplishes its end simply by informing the person against whom there is a claim, that the So ciety is interested in the claim. The changed situation which this interference brings about is continually illustrated in a striking manner. After an employe has made many unsuccess ful efforts to collect wages from an employer, and has met with excuse after excuse, or has been paid only what the employer felt in clined, the Society will take up the case and write for information. It is remarkable in how many cases a check is received by re turn mail. With the exception of negligence cases and cases dealing with divorce and separation, the work of the Society extends to all branches of -the law. Negligence cases are