The booklet discusses the legal rights of the retarded focusing on the question of advocacy. A number of issues relating to setting priorities in legal services programs are examined with respect to the retarded. Resources for legal advocacy for the retarded are listed and described, including community legal services programs, state advocacy…

Lack of consensus in literature of advocacy is demonstrated in the dichotomy between the "best interest" and "pure advocacy" approaches. This lack has resulted in differential interpretations of how practitioners should implement the advocacy role in legal settings and has created ethical problems for practitioners. (Author)

Presents a case study of a welfare rights advocacy effort on behalf of the homeless in Elizabeth, New Jersey. On the basis of this and other organizing efforts, examines complementary aspects of legal and welfare rights advocacy. (CMG)

Teenagers face the greatest risk of criminal victimization; yet they are ignored as a target group by current victim-assistance programs. Proposes the provision of such services to juvenile victims as a means of reinforcing conventional standards of behavior. (Author)

Presents some of the questions raised during debate within the American Bar Association about multidisciplinary practice (MDP). Provides responses based on recorded testimony and other communications with the bar's commission on MDP. (EV)

Given the extent to which our society values education, it is perplexing to learn that we continue to struggle to provide all children, especially homeless children, an adequate education. This troubling issue is the focus of this paper. Specifically, this paper will center around two basic questions; 1) what has the legal system done to ensure…

The legal problems of the visual artist are considered; the term "visual artist" here means any creator of a work of painting, drawing, graphic art, sculpture or commercial art. The legal questions considered include copyright; the relationship between artists, galleries, publishers, and museums; studio sales; and commissioned works. A discussion…

When loss of physical and mental rigor is accompanied by financial problems, the retiree may reject himself and fall victim to the con man and shyster. (Author)

The author reviews the history, current activities, and concerns of the Closer Look Information Center, parent information centers, and the Protection and Advocacy Network, finding that these have disseminated basic rights and specific information well, but now need to address problems requiring broad legal knowledge and sophisticated analysis.…

This handbook presents information and answers questions for persons with mental illness who are in trouble with the law and need legal representation. Topics addressed include finding and hiring a lawyer, the lawyers role and responsibilities, how a mental illness may affect court proceedings, and the legal process. A second section contains…

The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that publicly employed teachers may not be denied a new contract because they have exercised a right secured by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. (Editor)

This article describes the Model Standards Project (MSP), a collaboration of Legal Services for Children and the National Center for Lesbian Rights. The MSP developed a set of model professional standards governing the care of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth in out-of-home care. This article provides an overview of the…

Recent Supreme Court decisions have fundamentally altered the attorney's right to advertise. This potentially revolutionary revision in prescribed professional communications has paradoxically had ambiguous results. Despite the freedom to advertise, most attorneys forego this opportunity to maximize profits, expand clientele, or merely enhance…

Based on remarks before a Round-Table of the Whole, 1968 Annual Meeting, Association of American Law Schools (New Orleans, December 28, 1968).

Describes the legal assistance program currently offered by the Texas Department of Corrections which demonstrates the wide range of questions and problems that the paralegal can address. Reviews paralegal's functions in the prison setting and the services they can provide in assisting prisoners to maintain their rights. (Author/ABB)