The aim of the learning exchange to New York, organised by The Legal Education Foundation (TLEF) as part of its Justice First Fellowship programme, was to examine US access to justice through a social welfare lens and explore which approaches have the most positive societal impact. In reality, it was so much more: a whirlwind of court visits, thinktanks, food, campaigning tips, meeting funders, justice innovations, riding the subway, sightseeing and even a basketball game.

Social welfare law differences between the US and the UK, and innovative approaches to it, were often highlighted during the trip. The Red Hook Community Justice Center in Brooklyn is a community court founded in 2000 by the Center for Justice Innovation (then the Center for Court Innovation) to serve as a joint family, housing and criminal court to promote procedural justice. This innovative model shows how the court can play a transformative role in the community, with justice and on-site programmes all in one place. The court takes into account local needs, enhancing access to justice for residents and making services available on the spot. There is, however, only one judge, who hears over 40 cases a day, which was a bit mindboggling.

The courtroom was noticeably welcoming, light, modern and airy, with a standing desk for the judge. We were told it had been specially designed to be a less intimidating space. This was in direct contrast to the housing court in the Bronx, which felt rather bleak, although it did have some great artwork in the lobby. It was hectic, with multiple courts in session, people everywhere, lawyers taking instructions from their clients in court while another case was being heard, and defendants using the court as a waiting room for their case. More boggling of the mind for the Brits.

Legal Hand is another community advice agency set up by the Center for Justice Innovation, based on the UK’s own Citizens Advice model. This was a highlight of the trip for me as I am now a non-practising solicitor and CEO for Citizens Advice East Berkshire. Legal Hand, we were told, is in the fortunate position to be in a ‘resource-heavy’ city and as well as offering generalist face-to-face advice, it acts as a facilitator to connect clients with specialist help. In time, it hopes to have its own legal specialists as we do at Citizens Advice in the UK, to advise people in-house. I would be more than happy to return the favour and host a visit from them to share our best practice.

The most inspirational approach for me came from the Squire Patton Boggs’s (SPB’s) Public Service Initiative (PSI). The pro bono team of lawyers in the firm’s New York office is dedicated to handling the most challenging constitutional criminal justice issues, innocence cases and challenges to the death penalty. The firm’s commitment to pro bono and public service with its in-house team, as well as its Public Policy Fellowship programme, is outstanding. It was a real privilege to hear George H Kendall and his team speak with such compassion and even humour about their clients – it made me want to book a trip to the southern USA and practise law again. In 2016, SPB secured the release of Albert Woodfox after nearly 44 years in solitary confinement. He then wrote Solitary: a biography (2019), about the inhumanity of solitary confinement in the US, setting out the need for reform there and across the world. That’s now on my reading list.