Legal Access Team

Assistant Chief Counsel, Judith Harper

The Legal Access Team (LAT) is the first point of contact for those from the Department, its institutions and facilities, and other agencies seeking legal assistance. LAT’s goal is to facilitate timely and comprehensive legal services. The team is responsible for reviewing incoming requests for legal assistance, identifying the issues, and assigning the requests to the appropriate legal team for responses. Several modes of inquiry are available to our clients for easy access to legal services.

In addition, LAT assists the Department’s custodians of records with processing and responding to third party subpoenas for records of inmates, wards, and parolees. The team strives to ensure that federal and state privacy rights of inmates, wards, and parolees are protected while complying with the rules of discovery. LAT is also responsible for assessing requests for records pursuant to federal and state law such as the Public Records Act.

The Team further facilitates training programs and publications to assist individuals working in the field who encounter legal issues on a daily basis.