This issue of St.Thomas Lawyer focuses on the Justice Gap – a theme that was chosen months before stay-at-home orders were announced, social distancing was required and online learning and working became the norm. While unknown at the time it was chosen, this topic has even more relevance amid the current global pandemic. The Justice Gap is defined as the difference between the civil legal needs of the poor and the resources available to meet those needs. It affects more than 60 million Americans, including seniors, those with disabilities and low-income families — the same groups who have been the hardest hit by the coronavirus and the economic upheaval left in its wake. The full impact of the pandemic is still unknown, but even before the current health crisis, these individuals were unable to afford a lawyer to assist them with basic needs such as stable and safe
housing, reliable transportation and fair employment. Now more than ever, we must live our law school’s mission to ‘integrate faith and reason in the search for truth through a focus on morality and social justice’ and commit to addressing and closing the Justice Gap in America.
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