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Smith, R.H., 1919?, Justice & the Poor, 2ed
Justice and the poor; A study of the present denial of justice to the poor and of the agencies making more equal their position before the law; With
particular reference to legal aid work in the United States: by Reginald Heber Smith (1889-1966), xiv+271, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of
Teaching, Bulletin No. 13, NY, n.p., n.d., 1919? (A table of contents starts on p. iii; an index on p. 255. The first publication of this work was a
paperback, with the soft cover also serving as the title page. Later the Foundation published this hardcover edition with the legend “Second Edition”
on the title page. A close inspection shows that apparently most of the text, and all of the pagination is identical to that in the first publication.
However, on the chance that there may have been small corrections or editorial changes, recognizing the importance of the work and in a possible
excess of caution, LLMC is providing access to this “edition” also. Reginald Heber Smith life mixed the roles of, both highly influential lawyer, and also
widely admired public servant. In 1914, as a recent Harvard Law School graduate, Smith took over the Boston Legal Aid Society and enlisted the Harvard
Business School, then a proponent of the doctrines of the Efficiency Movement led by Frederick Winslow Taylor, to help him create a system for
tracking and managing the organization’s finances. One innovation was to have the lawyers keep detailed records of the time they spent on different cases.
When Smith joined the new Boston law firm of Hale and Dorr as managing partner in 1919, he brought his detailed accounting system with him; including a
further refinement, the daily time sheet. Although this innovation was widely despised by the majority of lawyers of the time, who compared it to
virtual slavery, it quickly spread through the profession, earning Smith the title of “Father of the Billable Hour.” However, Smith’s personal greatest
claim to fame was his publication in 1919 of this seminal text Justice and the Poor, which promoted the concept of free legal assistance for the poor.
Smith challenged lawyers to accept an obligation to ensure that access to justice be available to all, including those unable to pay. “Without equal
access to the law,” he wrote, “the system not only robs the poor of their only protection, but places in the hands of their oppressors the most
powerful and ruthless weapon ever invented.” In large part as a result of Smith’s widely influential text, buttressed with a preface by the respected Elihu
Root, the American Bar Association created its Special Committee on Legal Aid Work. By mid-20th century, most metropolitan areas in the U.S. had some
kind of legal aid program. The National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) annually presents the Reginald Heber Smith Award, to an outstanding
civil legal aid attorney or indigent defense attorney.)
Title:   Justice and the poor : a study of the present denial of justice to the poor and of the agencies making more equal their position before the law, with particular reference to legal aid work in the United States / by Reginald Heber Smith.
OCLC Number:   773061612
Available Volumes
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Volume 1YesYes