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Briefs
Ernesto G. Sanchez - Idaho's Pillar of Equal Justice
When LSC's Board of Directors traveled to Idaho in October, they were in the presence of a pillar of the equal justice community. Ernesto G. Sanchez has served as Executive Director of LSC-funded Idaho Legal Aid Services (ILAS) for 26 years, leading the program through its transformation from a small two-office operation into a statewide program providing legal services to eligible Idahoans throughout the entire state. In a sense, the evolution of the organization that has been Sanchez's life's work mirrors his own personal journey from humble beginnings to notable accomplishments. Sanchez was born into an early life of migrant farmwork, traveling throughout the country toiling to harvest food for other people's plates. He was a mere five years old when he started in the fields, and he did not leave the fields until he had finished two years of college at Idaho State University. It was while working towards his Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration that Sanchez says he began to, "formalize, develop, and strengthen my views regarding the denial of civil rights to certain classes of people, particularly Hispanics. The more I learned about the manner in which minorities and women were treated, the more I wanted to address the problem." Law school was the answer. When he received his juris doctorate from the University of Idaho in 1972, he was the first Hispanic to graduate from the law school, and the first Hispanic admitted to practice law in Idaho. Law school was also where Sanchez learned about Western Idaho Legal Aid-the precursor to ILAS-where he interned during his first summer. "When I started with legal services we were little more than a divorce mill, doing mostly divorces and custody cases out of only two offices. The program was not well received by others in those days, including the state bar and judiciary, because they were not familiar with who we were or what we did." Over the years, most of them under Sanchez's leadership, ILAS has evolved into a statewide program with a full case load covering all areas of law traditionally handled by a legal services program, and has developed a solid reputation throughout the state earning the respect of the bar and judiciary. Still, Sanchez is not one to take credit for himself. "ILAS has a very committed staff, many of whom have been with the program for many years. Whatever achievements I have accomplished would not have been possible without the critical involvement of others." Sanchez was proud to host the LSC Board this fall, as it gave him a chance to showcase the legal services program that has not only been his life's work, but his life's passion.
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