Justice First

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What We Do

What we do

INTRODUCTION

Justice First is a public interest law firm dedicated to protecting fundamental human rights and liberties. Our purpose is to have a meaningful impact on people’s lives and our work reflects a deep commitment to progressive lawyering. Our areas of focus include prisoners’ litigation, employment discrimination, retaliation and whistleblower lawsuits, civil rights, constitutional rights, and indigent appellate criminal defense.

Our firm advocates for those who have traditionally lacked power in our legal system. We restore dignity and remedy injustices by employing a variety of strategies including advocacy, litigation, public and media awareness, and coalition building. Through our mentoring program, we are dedicated to inspiring and training future generations of public interest lawyers.

Prisoners’ Litigation

Justice First is dedicated to the idea that no one should be subjected to cruel or inhumane treatment, including those convicted of a crime. Our current focus is on sexual misconduct by male prison guards at women’s prisons.

Employment Discrimination

Our law firm advocates on behalf of employees who are subjected to discrimination on behalf of race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation, and retaliation. Our employment litigation is currently focused on fighting on behalf of physician whistleblowers who are subjected to retaliation by health care corporations for reporting patient safety violations.

Indigent Criminal Defense

Justice First is committed to the principle that every criminal defendant is entitled to a quality lawyer regardless of one’s economic status. We serve as appointed appellate counsel for the First District Appellate Project and advocate against racial disparities and injustices ingrained in our criminal justice system. We also provide legal services in the area of post-conviction remedies and reentry services.