Ainsley Meyer

As a Chuck Green Fellow, I had the opportunity and pleasure to work with the Legal Rights Center (LRC), an organization dedicated to working with local communities to seek justice and racial equity. The Legal Rights Center does so through its Criminal Defense Program, criminal expungement work, Restorative Justice Program, legal education, and advocacy. As the Legal Rights Center is a “law firm of and for the people,” I was blessed to get a closer look at meaningful work that I am passionate about, access to justice and criminal defense.

I primarily worked with our Criminal Defense Program, and collaborated with numerous attorneys in order to produce the best defense for a client. As a part of my general work with the Criminal Defense Program, I conducted legal research on criminal statutes and permissible rules of evidence. Additionally, I led interviews with clients and discussed complicated legal terms and options with them. I traveled to the Government Center and the Juvenile Judicial Center for Court, and prepared for all Pre-Trial Hearings. As a part of learning everyday about Minnesota’s criminal procedures, I also observed a jury trial for our client and aided in Jury Selection. Finally, I worked with attorneys and clients on criminal expungements, which is the process of legally sealing a criminal record upon completion of a sentence. I led client petition review meetings, completed, and sent out the applications for our clients to relevant Minnesota Agencies and prosecutors’ offices.

Additionally, I worked in an Investigative capacity with our organization’s Investigator for Criminal Defense. My work in this area involved submitting data requests to local police departments and sheriff’s offices, as well as Freedom of Information Act requests to federal agencies. I assisted in field interviews with listed witnesses for cases, reviewed Body Worn Camera (BWC) footage from police officers, and communicated with clients in order to discover new information helpful to our case. 

Finally, the main project that I had the opportunity to work on at the Legal Rights Center included the implementation of a First Defense Hotline in Hennepin County. The hotline ensures a way that those that are arrested will have an attorney show up for them right when that occurs. Instead of waiting 72 hours in order to obtain legal representation and guidance, they are provided access to justice earlier. As a part of this project, I networked with potential law firms in order to find volunteers. I communicated with metro and billboard advertising agencies for the promotion of the hotline. Lastly, I analyzed numerous police reports with the intention of detecting patterns in arrests, the reading of Miranda warnings, and the time frame of when people make statements to the police. 

My time at the Legal Rights Center this summer has been more fulfilling than I could have ever expected it to be. I have been able to see and help with people’s everyday struggles with the criminal justice system, law enforcement, and racial inequality. The Chuck Green Fellowship has given me the opportunity to make real, meaningful, and impactful change within my community around me. Additionally, it has helped me to solidify my passions in working in this area of law. I am eternally grateful to my supervisors Marecca Vertin and Anna Hall at the Legal Rights Center, the LRC staff, Professor Rothin Datta, and my cohort for their support.