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Supporting Criminal Justice Reform Blank Rome is committed to working to ensure equal access to justice in the criminal legal system .
Working to Obtain Pardons and Clear Criminal Records for Minor and Nonviolent Offenses
Through a partnership with Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity (“ PLSE ”), in 2022 we held three separate clinics to help low-income Philadelphians who have outdated , nonviolent offenses on their criminal records to seek a pardon . Without a pardon , these clients often face significant barriers to stable employment and housing . We partnered with PECO / Exelon , Teva Pharmaceuticals , Comcast , and Otsuka Pharmaceuticals to do this important work , in addition to individual Blank Rome volunteers handling many of these cases outside of the clinic setting . In 2022 , we also partnered with attorneys from JPMorgan Chase , the Office of Defense Services in Delaware , the Delaware ACLU , and Delaware Volunteer Legal Services to host two separate Second Chance legal clinics to assist clients seeking expungement , pardons , and automatic sealing of criminal records .
In addition , Adam E . Laver , in collaboration with PLSE , pursued a grant of clemency for a 55- year-old man convicted in earlier years of minor narcotics offenses . By a 5-0 vote , the Board of Pardons recommended the grant of clemency , allowing Adam ’ s client to pursue his dream to become a firefighter for the City of Philadelphia . Seventh Circuit Criminal Appellate Project to Bridge the Justice Gap
Criminal appeals pro bono cases serve a gap in justice equality , providing quality counsel to poor , underrepresented , and often minority individuals and communities . Paul H . Tzur , a former federal prosecutor , is committed to criminal justice reform and more fundamentally , to ensuring that criminal defendants receive the due process to which they are entitled under the U . S . Constitution and other laws .
Paul has argued more than 15 cases in the U . S . Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit , earning him appointment on indigent criminal and habeas appeals . Paul began working on three pro bono appeals in 2020 , two of which have been argued and are awaiting decision and the third has just begun argument .
Team Defends Civil Rights of Prisoners in Inhumane Prison The conditions at the county prison in Fayette County , Pennsylvania , which was built in 1889 , were inhumane , failed to meet constitutional requirements , and were hazardous to the health and safety of both inmates and employees . In addition to pest infestations , black mold , and extreme temperature fluctuations , the prison had issues with lack of running water , sewage backups , and not enough appropriate space for medical care and meetings with counsel . The ACLU , working with Blank Rome attorneys James T . Smith , John P . Wixted , Lewis W . Schlossberg , Kevin M . Eddy , and Thomas A . Dydek , summer associate Asia Livingstone , and the Institutional Law Project , filed suit on behalf of a class of inmates , demanding that Fayette County remedy the deplorable conditions . After several years of litigation , a very favorable settlement was reached on behalf of the named plaintiffs that will ensure the inmates and the staff are not subjected to continued inhumane conditions . Conditions will be monitored while Fayette County builds a new county prison .
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