Who We Are Guides What We Do
Gladio is a project started by one lawyer with a vision of humanity working together to make a better world
Kindness is a virtue usually ignored by the legal profession but we a committed to bringing it into the courts and the world, one client at a time. We don’t believe competition is a natural instinct, because there is so much evidence that humans are specially designed to work together in groups and communities. We are social creatures made up of networks of family, friends, neighbors and co-workers, but the legal system was made to treat us like separate but identical objects.
This is why Gladio is so different from other legal aid organizations. We refuse to see our clients as numbers and case names and we want to empower them to use the legal system, not just survive it.
Who We Are Guides Who We Like
We support several organizations including:
The National Lawyers Guild has a mission “to use law for the people, uniting lawyers, law students, legal workers, and jailhouse lawyers to function as an effective force in the service of the people by valuing human rights and ecosystems over property interests.” For over 80 years, the NLG has acted as the legal arm of social movements and the conscience of the legal profession.
The NLG is dedicated to the need for basic change in the structure of our political and economic system. The NLG is anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, and anti-racist and we strive to bring in anti-oppressive practices to all aspects of our organization.
The Guild is best known for our work defending the rights of protesters providing legal support for movements for social justice for 50 years. Guild lawyers, law students, and legal workers observe police actions during protests, provide Know Your Rights trainings, track arrestees through the legal system, and provide free attorneys for protest-related cases.
Variety Of Services
We offer a variety of services that help you achieve your legal goals. Do you need help with fighting an eviction? What about one-on-one mentoring to help you navigate law school without losing your soul? We’ve got that. Reach out through email or our contact form and we can probably help or connect you with someone who can.
Living Our Mission
Our vision guides our services and our structure. We are a worker driven cooperative, we pay all of our staff the same wages, secretaries and attorneys alike. We value the contributions of all parts of the team as much as we value all people. We are dedicated to replacing economics with cooperation and we put our money where our mouth is.
Creative Solutions
We want to help build stronger communities by giving you tools to use the law. We don’t stand on tradition because America was founded on slavery and violence against native people. We look forward to finding new answers. We see the court as one area of resolving legal problems but not always the best, ideally we can negotiate and resolve problems creatively.