Creators of legal defense hotline say it fills a critical gap in early hours after arrest

Hollywood has taught entire generations that if you’re arrested in the U.S., you have the right to an attorney. If you can’t afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. But many people may not realize that unless you can pay for a lawyer, you likely won’t meet with one until your first court appearance. Those early hours are critical to a case, according to the Legal Rights Center, a nonprofit Minneapolis law firm. It launched a hotline this year to help fill this gap in Hennepin County. The hotline is the first of its kind in the state. For more, MPR News host Nina Moini talked with Marecca Vertin, who led the project as the Legal Rights Center’s community defense and access to justice attorney.