When it comes to finding sustainable employment, many people don’t recognize the variety of ways that even minor legal issues can become barriers to work. That’s why Rubicon Programs has a team of lawyers whose goal is to identify and remove legal barriers to employment, both at individual and systemic levels.

Rubicon’s legal department works with participants at multiple points during their journeys through the programs. In the Foundations workshop series, staff attorneys offer two workshops, “Getting Started with Legal” and “Looking for Work with a Criminal Record,” that introduce program participants to the legal support that they can engage with at Rubicon.

Pat Kaspar, Senior Staff Attorney for Rubicon Programs, says the key to supporting participants is through preventative rather than reactive services. “We want to identify potential issues before things become a crisis,” Kaspar says. “Sometimes, people might not even know what is a legal concern until it’s too late; that’s where we can ask questions to learn more about their situation.”

In addition to the group workshops, attorneys meet with participants one-on-one to perform “legal checkups” that help them determine the next steps. Attorneys and participants work together to decide what might work best for their particular situations before coming up with a holistic strategy together.

“It’s nuanced,” Kaspar says. “Especially in family law, we have to decide what makes sense in the long haul. Litigation isn’t always the best option.” Because of the emphasis on individual participants’ goals, Rubicon attorneys spend a lot of their time outside of the courtroom negotiating and advocating on behalf of participants.

Senior Staff Attorney Sarah Williams says that Rubicon attorneys have the benefit of working with participants over many years to help improve their outcomes. “That’s something a lot of attorneys don’t have, is helping people take little steps,” Williams says. “We can see the whole person and their progress over years and years.”

The legal team also participates in regional and statewide advocacy, as invited. Attorneys respond to requests from other community-based organizations, advocacy groups, and legislatures to write and sign letters of support for policy proposals that align with Rubicon’s values. Williams also compiles an annual legislative update for Rubicon staff so that those working directly with participants can know ahead of time about how new laws might be affecting people differently each year.

Aside from working with participants who might need to appear in court, Rubicon attorneys provide an array of legal services that cover record expungement, traffic ticket forgiveness, housing, employment discrimination, and appealing denial of employment based on the Fair Chance Act, among others. The legal services are designed to reduce barriers to employment and economic mobility that might otherwise prevent a participant from moving forward in life.

“We’re with participants as long as they’re active and engaging with us,” Kaspar says. “One participant showed me that my business card was the only card that he had in his wallet. It’s comforting for people to know that they have someone they can call if something comes up.”