I was in my office, surfing the web, BAREFOOT (truth), when I came across this article:
Vivek Maru, a graduate of Yale Law School who founded Namati in 2011, stresses the need to move from looking at law as an ‘expensive service’ to an accessible right. “Law, historically, has been very closed, very elite. We wanted to open that up. It is fundamental to our democracy, so it shouldn’t be locked away.” Maru says. He argues that the law should be something that all of us can understand, use and shape. To fix this problem, Namati aims to achieve ‘law of all’ by focusing on legal empowerment. Every ‘barefoot lawyer’ that Namati trains comes from within the communities that need legal assistance the most. As community paralegals, they are trained in basic law, negotiation, organizing, and advocacy. Paralegals and clients solve many problems on their own—fisher people persuade a private port to stop blocking their access to the sea, farmers negotiate for a fair deal with an agricultural investor.
Click here to read the entire article about Barefoot Lawyering … it’s worth your time!
