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News and Commentary on the Law and Culture of Lawyers.
Lawyers are an integral part of our society. Even critics agree that lawyers are important. The public and the legal profession share an interest in how lawyers work, how they relate to the public interest, and how the profession is regulated. On Lawyering follows the ongoing development of the legal profession and its impact on and with our culture.
Richard Cassidy has practiced law since 1980. He served for 14 years as member of the Vermont Board of Bar Examiners, including 11 years as its Chair. Since 1999, he has served in the American Bar Association (ABA) House of Delegates and also served a term on the ABA Board of Governors. He chaired the ABA’s Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services and is a special advisor to the Committee. Richard has been a member of the Uniform Law Commission since 1994, served as its Secretary from 2009 to 2011, and is currently the Chair of its Committee on Scope and Program. He is a founding member of Hoff Curtis, a Burlington, Vermont law firm.
Cassidy is admitted to the bar in the states of New York and Vermont and to practice before the United States District Court for Districts of Vermont and the Northern District of New York, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Dear Mr. Cassidy,
Tomorrow you will be offering informative testimony to the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the topic of “Collateral Consequenses of a Criminal Conviction; Barriers to Re-Entry”. This is a very encouraging, and hopefully, productive opportunity to improve the plight of well-intentioned people who are barred from employment due to an old crminal conviction. Thank you for your participation and efforts in this reform.
As you know, a felony conviction of any sort is a serious matter, but to treat all ex-offenders as permanent blights on society is not productive, let alone decent or compasionate. Sentencing addresses this, but there is a cruel reality that affects each offender – they are permanently branded “felon”. In some cases, this makes sense – violent repeat offenders need to be identified as such. However, a one-time non-violent offender who has made a mistake, paid restitution, completed due punishment and tried to remain law-abiding is painted with the same brush. He/she will not be considered for most professional or high-skilled jobs because of the felony conviction – no matter how old. Yes, some people will manage to find work of some sort, but the barriers to most employment is excessive. Even service jobs like census workers or substitute teaching require full background checks which will eliminate them.
There is a bill currently awaiting review by the Subcommittee. It is HR1529 – The Second Chance for Ex-Offenders Act of 2009, and it offers one-time offenders who demonstrate law-abiding behavior, among other requirements, the opportunity to expunge their records and return to full citizenship and emplyability. The bill includes safeguards against any type of abuse of this opportunity, as well. This initiative will do more for the ex-offender than any other program we know of, and it will cost the tax-payers nothing!! In fact it should be a revenue generator.
We hope you will take a look at this bill and give it your endorsement as an influential legal professional.
Thank you for your work and efforts here. I hope your presentation goes well tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Tom Jenkins
Lexington, KY
Mr. Cassidy I would simply like to add the endorsement of our group, Support of H.R. 1529 at the website listed above, to the comments made by Mr. Jenkins. He has it exactly right. The effective civil death penalty imposed by the one-size fits all approach to criminal justice must be changed. Your support and work in this area efforts is very much appreciated.