Alumna’s nonprofit law firm seeks to make legal services affordable
UCLA alumna Lindsay Vose founded Justice Crusaders Legal Services, which has rates based on clients’ incomes. (Courtesy of Lindsay Vose)
By Nikki Somani
May 22, 2015 1:20 a.m.
Two months had passed since Yolanda Barclay’s son was arrested, and she was starting to feel desperate.
Barclay couldn’t afford to pay for a private law firm. She opted for a public defender to represent her son in court, but felt that his public defender didn’t care – she said the defender never interviewed witnesses or tried to meet with her son.
Barclay heard about Justice Crusaders Legal Services, a nonprofit law firm founded by a UCLA alumna that charges clients based on their income, from one of her son’s teachers. She said her experience with Justice Crusaders has given her new hope for her son’s case.
“Now my son can have a future,” Barclay said. “Now he can be heard.”
UCLA alumna Lindsay Vose founded Justice Crusaders in August. Before that, she had worked at a private law firm in Los Angeles that charged around $425 per hour. During her consultations, she realized many people could not afford the private law firm she worked at and had limited access to legal services.
Justice Crusaders serves individuals whose incomes are 125 percent to 425 percent above the poverty level. Because of their moderate incomes, many individuals are ineligible for free legal services, Vose said. She currently serves as the program’s director and full-time attorney.
Justice Crusaders has an hourly rate ranging from $65 to $125 per hour, depending on the client’s income and family size. Vose said 51 percent of people in the U.S. meet the program’s requirements, according to 2013 census data.
Vose said her firm bypasses luxuries, such as large office space, expensive computers, weekly lunches and high salaries, to be able to function as a nonprofit organization. Vose added she is currently applying for grants and starting a fundraising campaign for the firm.
When Tamira Cole sought legal counsel from Justice Crusaders earlier this year, private law firms gave her estimates of around $2,500. She said Justice Crusaders charged her $450.
“(Many people) don’t know that these resources are out there,” Cole said. “A lot of people would’ve just went ahead and tried to pay the $2,500 because they (didn’t think they had) another choice.”
Vose said one of her most memorable cases was with a child with autism. She said the client’s family had been paying attorney fees, around $500 per hour. Vose said she closed the case last month, and heard this week that the child is doing well and excited to return to school.
“That’s the best feeling that you can ask for,” Vose said. “Hearing that something that you (did) made a real difference in someone’s life, especially a child’s life. That’s huge.”
