Professor Appointed to ABA’s COVID-19 Task Force.
Wendy Mariner, Edward R. Utley Professor of Health Law, has been appointed to serve on the American Bar Association’s Task Force on Legal Needs Arising Out of the 2020 Pandemic.
The nationwide task force is comprised of volunteer lawyers and judges who will respond to the critical legal questions that the legal profession, judiciary, and the public face as a result of the pandemic. The group will make recommendations on how to address those needs, and will also mobilize pro bono legal services to help those in need.
“This task force will create a national clearinghouse for information and resources on these questions of law,” says Mariner. “I am pleased to have this opportunity to get accurate public health law information to influential decision makers.”
The task force includes experts in disaster response, health law, insurance, criminal justice, domestic violence, civil rights, and social justice. They will evaluate a range of legal questions that people will likely face as the pandemic continues to spread, including challenges associated with unemployment, evictions, insurance, and government benefits.
Lawyers and judges often provide volunteer services during national emergencies. The ABA recommends that lawyers provide at least 50 hours of pro bono legal services each year to people who are unable to pay.
Mariner also currently serves as chair of the ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice, and has previously served as its vice-chair and secretary. She was also a member of the ABA Special Committee on Bioethics and the Law.
At SPH, Mariner is also a professor of health law, policy & management and a professor in the Center for Health Law, Ethics & Human Rights. Her research focuses on laws governing health risks, including social and personal responsibility for risk creation, health insurance systems, the Affordable Care Act, ERISA, health information privacy, and health policy.