Legal Aid
SALDEF’s Office of Legal Affairs provides free legal assistance on civil rights and civil liberties issues. The Office of Legal Affairs consists of volunteer attorneys across the U.S., many of whom contribute their pro bono time from their law firms to SALDEF. SALDEF also collaborates with and retains law firms to pursue litigation.
SALDEF's Office of Legal Affairs provides legal assistance for the following issues:
- Workplace discrimination
- Protecting Sikh articles of faith (such as kirpan and kesh)
- Denial of public accommodation
- Other civil rights and civil liberties issues.
Specifically, the Office of Legal Affairs provides the following assistance:
- Legal assistance line: the SALDEF office is open daily during business hours to field phone calls from Sikh Americans in need of legal advice or assistance on any matter relating the rights affecting an individual or members of the community;
- Legal referrals: SALDEF maintains a network of attorneys around the country who are willing and able to offer legal assistance to Sikh Americans in every geographic area of the country where a large concentration of Sikhs reside;
- Legal representation: SALDEF, in association with national and local law firms, arranges for legal representation of Sikh Americans in instances where litigation is necessary.
- Legislative policy development: SALDEF’s attorneys regularly track new developments in the law as they impact the Sikh community, and also conduct research and writing projects to analyze the current state of the law in these areas and identify areas in which challenges lie ahead;
- Legislative advocacy: In coordination with other members and officers of the organization, SALDEF’s attorneys work with local, state and federal officials to advocate changes in regulatory and legislative policies in areas which impact the Sikh community.
- Legal research assistance: SALDEF maintains a Legal Database of judicial opinions affecting the Sikh community for the use of lawyers, scholars, reporters, and other interested persons.
Read more about this topic: Sikh American Legal Defense And Education Fund, Activities
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