Public Defenders Recognized for Pro Bono Service

James “Houston” Bales, Bach Hang, and Jennifer Roth at the KBA Annual Meeting after receiving their awards.

by Meryl Carver-Allmond, BIDS Training Director

A group of BIDS attorneys was recently recognized by the Kansas Bar Association for their pro bono work at Wichita self-help legal clinics.

Sedgwick County Deputy Public Defender Bach Hang accepted the KBA’s 2023 Pro Bono Award on behalf of a group of attorneys who organized and participated in the Wichita Driver’s License Reinstatement Clinic. The award recognizes those who deliver direct legal services free of charge to the poor.

Along with Hang, James “Houston” Bales (Sedgwick County), Victoria Eck (Sedgwick County), and Jennifer Roth (Appellate Defender) were all also recognized with Pro Bono Certificates, which go to those whose voluntary contributions have resulted in increased access to legal services for people with low or moderate incomes. The pro bono certificates were awarded for work at the Driver’s License Clinic, an expungement clinic, and at a clinic to help drug offenders get off the offender registry.

Roth, who worked specifically at the offender registry clinic, said, “After advocating for years for an exit mechanism, I was not going to miss an opportunity to help people apply for it! I am glad I made the trip to Wichita — the first person who sat down with me should never have had to register, so we got him removed from the registry immediately. I had a great time working with Kansas Legal Services and local attorneys, many of whom I have seen since and now consider to be friends.”

Bales echoed the idea of providing on-the-ground service to make sure that laws passed to benefit BIDS clients can actually be implemented. “It feels unfair to me that, even though the legislature has passed laws to fix these problems, there are no easy to use mechanisms to accomplish these goals. The people who came to these clinics are similarly situated to our clients, and whether they have criminal issues or traffic issues, I want to help if I can. These clinics are a light at the end of the tunnel for folks who have worked really hard to put a bad thing in the past behind them.”

Congrats to all of the award winners and thank you for your service!