The sun., 1902-02-23
LEGAL AID SOCIETY.
Fifteen Thousand Eight Hundred and Eighty
Poor Clients Helped Last Year.

Poor Clients Helped Last Year.
One Of the charitable organizations
about whose work the general public know
comparatively little is the Legal Aid So-
ciety, which held last week its Twenty
sixth annual meeting.
President Arthur Won Briesen, In his re-
port. showed that the society during the
past year conducted cases for IL, $50 clients
in its four offices at 2S9 Broadway, State
street, the East Side Branch at the corner
OF Rivington and Eldridge st reefs and the
Woman's Branch In the Unite d Charities
Building. In each Office were lawyers OF
the society ready to plead III behalf OF It's
clients.
The society seeks TO aid the poor and help
less whenever they appear to have been
wronged. It's attorneys are not permitted
10 charge any commission on recovcrles
that amount TO less than So but ON amounts
over that they may deduct 10 per cent.
for fees. The attorneys Of the society
are authorized to charge every client who
can pay II, retaining fee OF 10 cents. Dur
ing the year 1901 the society recovered for
it's clients s7s,173.e7. and this added to s8G9,
e70.H cole oted In previous years since
II was organized, gives a grand total of
so4s, ,l4475 thus far obtained for poor peo-
pie who might otherwise not have been able
To secure their rights.
The nationality OF the applicants Is shown
In an interesting table published In the
annual report. Those OF German birth
outnumbered all other applicants who had
been born in foreign countries. There were
2,793 such applicants last year and Russia
came second with 1889. Ireland was rep
resented by i,ia7 clients and Poland by
SJ4.
There were 9 Arabs, Armenians, 6
Chileans, Cinnamon. Egyptians. 5i7
Eng lishmen, +3 Films, SO Greeks, 20 jar ane Q,
1s Mexicans, Persian, % Eipinos, zOc
Scotchmen, sos Swedes. 90 Swiss, Eene-
zuelans, Welshmen and West African.
The cases handled included articles Of
Incorporation. breach OF promise suits,
complaints against shipping masters aud
all sorts Of criminal complaints. and en-
braced about the entire list Of civil actions.
Miss Rosale Loew, who report as the
attorney in charge Of the main Office, says:
Your attorney finds that the good work
Of the Legal Aid Society i generally appre-
ciated One question, however, j. ire-
quently asked; namely, whittier the So
cety is not imposed upon In appe airing for
persons who can afford 10 pay an attorney,
or in presenting unjust claims. Either OF
these things would be vital error
"On tho first point, your attorney re-
ports that all persons are turned away
who can afford TO pay an attorney, or whose
ces-s are such as would be taken up by
reputable attorneys, without the payment
of a retainer. On this latter theory, for
instance. negligence cases are taken up
only when the damages involved are So
small that no other attorney can be found
who will undertake the case.
-No matrimonial actions Of any kind are
undertaken exc, pt ior the purpose Of OBJ
tanning support. The utmost carr Is taken
to prevent making unjust claims. Our
experience aids us TO detect attempted
fraud and it Is your attorneys opi ion
that the percentage Of attcmpto d coll, CtiCn
Of unjust claims il very email. exc, pt an
10 the wages claims in the East Side office.
OF this the attorney Of that Office will speak
more fully,
In conclusion. however. your attorney
bags TO state that her whole stah Ia the
branch offices. and In the main ot'icc. is dis
tinctly conscious of a first duty 10 sub
scrib RS ard 10 the public, to prevent the
use Of the services of the society unfairly
In the Wpma - B lnch. which is situate
In the United Charities Building in charge
Of Miss Josephine Story, attorney-at-l law,
1922 cases were handl, d last year. Miss
Story gave hcr services to the society.
The Laral Aid Socty is support by
dues from its members, by donations dby
the commission account of its attorneys,
giving IL altogether last year an income Of
s197s.54. which was about 81 less than its
eXDenditures