From October 21st-25th, SAAPRI helped the Chicago Bar Association and Chicago Bar Foundation kick off their 9th Annual Pro Bono Week by urging attorneys of all backgrounds to help the growing number of community members with limited English proficiency (LEP). SAAPRI’s Executive Director Ami Gandhi coauthored an article for the CBA Record magazine titled “Helping Clients with Limited English Proficiency” and trained attorneys on how to work effectively with immigrant and LEP clients. SAAPRI also partnered with Equip for Equality and LAF for a Continuing Legal Education training on language access for CARPLS staff and volunteers.
Dispensing justice fairly, efficiently, and accurately is a cornerstone of the judiciary. Policies and practices that deny LEP persons meaningful access to the courts undermine that cornerstone.
United States Department of Justice
SAAPRI’s commitment to language access continues via Ami Gandhi’s role on the State of Illinois Task Force on Language Access to Government Services. Additionally, SAAPRI has connected government agencies and service providers to community members providing assistance in a variety of languages, including Hindi, Gujarati, Urdu, Telugu, Punjabi, and Bengali/Bangla. As SAAPRI continues advocating for improved language access to the court system, we are proud to partner with diverse organizations including Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Chicago (AAAJ-C), Apna Ghar, LAF, DePaul University College of Law Asylum & Immigration Law Clinic, and Korean American Women in Need (KAN-WIN).