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Attorneys have a responsibility to the public to uphold the laws of the United States and the ideas of justice. In our judicial system unless you have the funds to retain counsel to represent you, you will be prejudiced from the very beginning. Beyond not knowing the law, a lay person will not know the Rules of Procedure which are to be followed. These rules can result in the dismissal of a case for not abiding by something as simple as filing a response by a certain deadline. The very idea of justice dictates that every person will be treated equally under the law and this cannot occur when individuals are not represented by adequate counsel when before the judicial system. Our rights under Miranda require that if we cannot be afforded an attorney in a criminal case that one will be appointed but there are no such requirements in a civil case. Therefore, Lawyer Bar Associations and State Supreme Courts have initiated programs where those who are not able to afford an attorney can apply for an attorney on a pro-bono basis. This means that the individual will not be required to pay for the services of the attorney appointed in their case or they may pay only expenses or a greatly reduced rate. I completely agree that attorneys should serve in this capacity to ensure that all people have the same opportunity to prevail in the court system. Furthermore, not only does pro bono appointments benefit the individuals they benefit the court system by having attorneys who are well versed in the practice before the Court handle the cases rather than individuals who are not aware of the requirements having to constantly ask questions which court personnel cannot answer or advise. I do believe that the current appointment system should be changed to ensure that attorneys are only appointed in cases to which they have some general experience. I do not believe that it benefits anyone for an attorney who practices corporate litigation to be appointed to a family court matter. When this does occur, most attorney retain the services, at their own expense, of competent counsel experienced in that certain type of law to represent the pro bono client. I do not see this as an unreasonable request because the attorney is upholding the ideas of justice by working together to ensure that all people have the right to fair and competent representation within the judicial system.

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