The legal landscape in Rhode Island changed several years ago, when a public-interest law center focused on the needs of families and individuals with low incomes opened shop.
Until the Rhode Island Center for Justice was created in 2014, people who couldn’t afford their own lawyers often went without legal assistance. For some, this meant unlawful evictions from their apartment or being paid a lower wage than they were entitled to.
The nonprofit center, housed at the Roger Williams University campus in downtown Providence, has been able to fill the gaps in legal representation for individuals and groups who previously lacked access to the system, said Jennifer Wood, executive director.
Recent cases include an action on behalf of elderly and disabled customers of National Grid PLC, who were dependent on electricity for medical needs but whose power had been shut off, and a group action on behalf of 50 maintenance workers in Rhode Island who were not paid overtime for the more than 40 hours they worked.
In the absence of a lawyer, Wood said, “often people’s rights simply go unchallenged. People are either unable to access the court system or unable to get the advice and the assistance they need, and are not able to follow up, even if they have a meritorious claim.”
In the National Grid case, the resolution affected 15,000 people in Rhode Island, who were not being notified of their right to continue their electrical service due to illness or disability.
The center has an agreement with Roger Williams University and offers paid fellowships to two law students annually. It does not charge individual clients anything for the service, but derives its revenue from grants, individual philanthropic or corporate contributions and from attorneys’ fees awarded in successful cases.
Often, Wood said, the cases are resolved through settlement or through a mediated outcome.
The center tries to work with employers in particular, and it takes cases not from individuals who request help, but through community service agencies and partners who help to prioritize issues.
The eviction crisis sweeping through many cities in the United States has impacted Providence and other cities in Rhode Island. Frequently, these issues are the focus of the work of the center.
“We send our lawyers into the community. We try to do clinics during the daytime hours, during the evening hours, so people who work can access us,” Wood said.
“We do clinics every week at different sites, and there are always new intakes, a person who is seeking our assistance,” she said.
The best-case scenario for legal outcomes is when the employer, or the landlord, works with the center and a solution is reached that can help all sides.
So, the landlord owed back rent, for example, has an agreement under which that money will be paid, in exchange for resolving an issue, such as poor maintenance.
“It’s all about negotiating,” Wood said.
OWNER: A nonprofit with 11 board members, Executive Director Jennifer Wood
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Nonprofit public-interest law center
LOCATION: 1 Empire Plaza, Suite 410, Providence
EMPLOYEES: Five
YEAR INCORPORATED: 2014
ANNUAL BUDGET: $420,000
