ArchCity Defenders Celebrates 10 Years Of Advocacy, Growth
St. Louis on the Air · St. Louis Public Radio
November 7, 201927m 32s
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Show Notes
Ten years ago, a trio of recent law school graduates formed a nonprofit law firm. They called it ArchCity Defenders. And they had a novel idea: wraparound services, not just legal representation, for the people who needed it most. As Michael-John Voss explains it, he and his co-founders, Thomas Harvey and John McAnnar, were inspired by the Jesuit tradition at St. Louis University School of Law. After taking classes in public interest law, they found themselves working on projects representing those too poor to afford lawyers. “We saw the fact that the existing entities that were supposed to serve the indigent population were overburdened and overworked,” he say. “And there was no communication between the civil and criminal organizations that are supposed to serve this population. We thought, ‘There’s got to be a better way to do this.’” In this episdoe, he and ArchCity Executive Director Blake Strode talk with host Sarah Fenske.