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In the Trenches

By TChris, Section Law Related
Posted on Fri May 05, 2006 at 11:07:53 AM EST
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by TChris

High profile lawyers capture headlines, but less heralded lawyers, laboring in the trenches daily, go out of their way to make the legal system work for ordinary people. They rarely get the recognition they deserve. One of them, Ray Brescia, is profiled in the NY Times.

Mr. Brescia, 39, is director of the community development project at the Urban Justice Center in Manhattan, a nonprofit legal clinic founded in 1984. ...

Last month, lawyers from the Urban Justice Center's community development project sued Jing Fong, the largest restaurant in Chinatown, alleging that it had violated labor laws violations by, among other things, siphoning off tips from waiters and busboys.

"As a former busboy and waiter, I care about this stuff," he said.

In February, lawyers from his community development project negotiated a $300,000 settlement for Ehab Elmaghraby, an Egyptian immigrant who used to run a restaurant near Times Square. He was mistakenly detained for nearly a year on suspicion of terrorism after the Sept. 11, 2001, attack.

Mr. Elmaghraby, who was held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, charges that while he was shackled, he was kicked and punched until he bled. The settlement was the first arising from the government's sweep of Muslims and others after 9/11.

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    • In the Trenches | 3 comments (3 topical)
    Re: In the Trenches (none / 0) (#1)
    by Dadler on Fri May 05, 2006 at 11:00:28 AM EST
    Three cheers for the unsung heroes!

    Re: In the Trenches (none / 0) (#2)
    by jen on Fri May 05, 2006 at 01:18:16 PM EST
    hurray! hurray! hurray!

    Re: In the Trenches (none / 0) (#3)
    by jondee on Fri May 05, 2006 at 06:46:21 PM EST
    On what evidence was Elmaghraby held for a year?

    In the Trenches | 3 comments (3 topical)