In a fitting tribute, this year’s Emery Brownell Award recognizes the huge impact that The Daily Record from Rochester, NY, has had on the community’s awareness of the need to ensure equal justice for those who cannot afford it. Even more impressive is the fact that its daily circulation of 1,200 and its small staff produces 251 editions per year. The Daily Record has distinguished itself time and again with its ongoing indepth and enlightened coverage of the crucial role played by civil legal aid and/or defender organizations in ensuring access to justice for the most vulnerable members of our community. To cite just a few examples:
Ongoing reporting on new legislation to create an Office of Indigent Legal Services in the state of New York A series of articles chronicling the efforts of NY State’s Chief Justice Jonathon Lippman’s implementation of a statewide task force to identify a stable funding source for civil legal services. Reported on and co-sponsored with the Greater Rochester Association for Women Attorneys a panel discussion featuring Amy Bach, author of Ordinary Injustice in the spring of 2010. Articles featuring the New York State Unified Court System’s new Attorney Emeritus status for attorneys age 55 and over who volunteer pro bono. Extensive coverage of Rochester’s annual Campaign for Justice phone-a-thon for civil legal services. Monthly Pro Bono Spotlight Column
The Daily Record regularly reports in detail on the importance of the constitutional right to counsel in criminal proceedings, focusing the community’s attention on new legislation creating a statewide Office of Indigent Legal Services, and the vitally important work the office will undertake. “In my 8 years as executive director of VLSP [Volunteer Legal Services Project of Monroe County, Inc.], The Daily Record has published innumerable articles raising public awareness of the dire circumstances our clients face and the need for attorneys to step forward and honor their professional responsibility to provide free legal assistance to the indigent,” said Sheila Gaddis, executive director of VLSP. “The impact of The Daily Record’s reporting is statistically significant. VLSP had 5,304 pro bono hours in fiscal year 2009. In fiscal year 2010, we were delighted to report 7,467 pro bono hours. It is difficult to imagine any newspaper being more supportive of indigent clients and those who dedicate their careers to the ideal of equal justice for all then The Daily Record.”