Evening star., 1937-03-06
BAR ASSOCIATION
WILL ASSIST NEEDY
COURT u|T|GANTS
Committee of rs to Serve
Without Compensation in
Municipal Chamber.
LAWYER TO BE PRESENT
FROM 9 Am. TO 2 Pm.
Representation Gets Boost When
Adequate Suffrage" Bill Is
Ordered Drafted.

| CredClOn Oh cOmmlLLee OF 20 law
yers to aid needy Municipal Court
litigants was the District Bar Asso-
cations answer last night 10 critics
Of its opposition TO small claims
| court.
All members of the committee will
serve without compensation and the
Bar Association will foot the bills
President Henry I. Quinn said he
would name the committee today and
that no time will be lost in putting
the plan into effect.
Designed to assure every man his
day in court if he has a just claim.
the committee was represented to
have the support of the Legal Aid Bu-
reau, which is a Community Chest
affiliate, and the Municipal Court
judges.
The scheme was explained 10 the
association, at its meeting in the
Mayflower Hotel, by Leo MCGUIRE, a
member of a special committee named
to study the problem.
Although only indigents will be
aided, the term will be given a lib
,ral instruction and applied TO any
| man who, although having sufficient
funds to support himself and his
family, still is without the surplus
needed to finance litigation.
Claims which would JUSTIFY an
attorney taking the case on a con-
tingent fee basis will not be handled
by the committee.
Lawyer TO Be on Hand.
The intention is to have an eX-
perienced lawyer at the Municipa!
Court daily between am. and pm.
to represent needy claimants. The
court already has agreed TO provide
space for him and the Legal Aid Bu-
reau will supervise the work OF the
committee, seeing to it that some one
always is on hand. Supervision by
the bureau will continue fol from
three to six months, or until the
routine is well established.
McGuire said it was the intention
to approach as closely as possible the
free clinics offered by the other pro-
fessions He emphasized that the conn.,
mittee is only an experiment.
The association adopted the plan
without q dissenting vote.
Representation Gets Boost.
National representation for the Dis
trict received a boost from the law
yers, who instructed their Conlmittec
on Legislation to draft bill providing
ADEQUATE suffrage"
This action was taken after James
R. Kirkland had recommended. or
beha,. of the Legislation Committee,
that .he association take no action on
House bill which failed to provide
for District representation In the
Senate.
Although the Bar Association has
doggedly refused to admit women, ii
decided last night to permit members
of the Women's Bar Association 70 use
its library at the District Court for
an annual fee of $40 apiece.
The matter was brought before the
meeti :, by Austin Garfield, who said
the feminine organization had re-
quested the privilege. and J. had been
agreed that SIS should be fair fee.
He said the rumor had reached him
that two or three" Of the judges had
insisted the women be allowed to use
the library, since it is on Federal prop
erty. 3.
George C.. Gertman wanted to ad-
nit any white woman member Of the
bar in good standing. but the asso-
citation voted to conf1ne the privilege
to the Women's Bar Association. The
IS fee met little favor and was
doubled.
Bills Acted Upon.
Numerous bills pending in Congress
were acted upon. At the request of
Senator King of Utah, chairman of
the District Committee, the bill intro
duced by Senator McKellar of Ten
nessee to divest the inferior Federal
courts of power to enjoin enforcement
Of Federal statute, was submitted to
the association for consideration, but
promptly was referred to committee.
The lawyers opposed the House bill
to extend the hour for sale of liquor
from midnight Saturday to am.
Sunday, approved the House bill which
would set up machinery for election
of District committeeman to political
conventions, approved House bill to
prohibit bottling in the District of
beer from a State, recommended
passage of the Senate bill enbodying
a uniform sales act. voted in favor of
the House bill which would extend the
benefits of civil service to clerks OF
the District Court and the United
States Court of Appeals and recon-
mended that 1t also include mesSen-
gers and marshals, rejected the House
bill which would abolish capital pun
ishment in the District for murder
and rape, and approved a House bill
to prohibit more than per cent pre-
MUM on the resale of theater tickets.
1t was decided to ask the Senate
District Committee to Withhold action
. on the Juvenile Court bill until the
Bar Association can make a further
study.