Daily Record- "The Center for Arkansas Legal Services"- Dec. 4-10, 2023 edition

Try and imagine you have been down a dark road, one that led to a conviction and perhaps even incarceration. Now you have paid your debt to society and are ready for just a chance to move forward and start a new and productive life. But there are barriers keeping you from moving forward, that can seem nearly impossible to overcome. Many Arkansans don’t have to imagine this scenario, for them it is reality, but help is available.

In 2016, The Center for Arkansas Legal Services (CALS), in partnership with the AR Department of Workforce Services and the Central AR Planning and Development District, began providing low-income Arkansans with a fresh start by sealing criminal records. It worked for people like Alayah, who had been hired for and subsequently dismissed from several jobs based on a misdemeanor conviction from 1996. She had twice tried to seal her record before finally contacting CALS, where one of their attorneys filed Alayah’s petition and represented her in a contested hearing. The petition was granted over the State’s objection and Alayah was subsequently hired for a new job as lead pre-k teacher making $20.55 an hour.

This is just one example of the many ways people who need another chance and a fresh start can receive aid from pro bono legal aid.

“Legal services are one of the most powerful tools anyone can have to improve their lives,” says Milo Mumgaard, who joined CALS in September 2022 as executive director, following a seven-year tenure as executive director of Legal Aid of Nebraska.