Legal Redress
FILING A LEGAL COMPLAINT
If you believe that you have been the target of discrimination, you should file a complaint as soon as possible. The North Fulton NAACP Legal Redress Committee cannot help with your civil rights complaint until all required forms have been completed and submitted. If you have an urgent civil rights complaint, you may wish to contact an attorney for representation.
WHAT DOES THE LEGAL REDRESS COMMITTEE DO?
The North Fulton NAACP Legal Redress Committee does not provide legal advice or representation, pay for an attorney nor do we provide direct programs and services. The Legal Redress Committee does however investigate allegations of discrimination and serve as a liaison between individuals needing help and organizations offering quality legal services in our communities. The committee is comprised of devoted volunteers who carefully evaluate each complaint for evidence of racial, employment, education and housing discrimination.
While the Legal Redress Committee does not offer legal advice, we can act as non-attorney partners or advocates in mediation. We can also assist you in identifying attorneys or local, state, or federal agencies that may be able to assist you in addressing your complaint.
Educating the community about civil rights and community building is very important to our mission within NAACP. Therefore, it is our role to facilitate conversation between parties where applicable and, wherever possible, to mediate/negotiate a resolution that is amenable to both dependent upon the circumstances. There are occasions when individual cases of discrimination can uncover systemic discrimination, that is, discrimination throughout an entire business or other entity, those may warrant longer investigation(s) and further referral on a case-by-case basis.
Except for unusual circumstances, the North Fulton NAACP Legal Redress Committee does not accept verbal complaints over the telephone, all complaints must be submitted in writing on the approved Legal Redress Complaint Form. Once an attorney has been retained, the Legal Redress Committee’s role will be very limited or end altogether.
Finally, it is extremely important that you understand that the Legal Redress Committee is a volunteer committee. This does not imply that we are lawyers or that we have judicial authority. Our Mission is to provide fact finding, mediation, and to match needs with resources where and whenever possible. NAACP services are also contingent on availability of funds and volunteers.
WHAT HAPPENS ONCE A COMPLAINT IS SUBMITTED?
- The party submitting the complaint must fill out the Complaint Form in its entirety and submit the same to the North Fulton NAACP.
- The North Fulton NAACP Legal Redress Committee will review the submitted Complaint Form. Review of the Complaint Form may take up to 3 business days.
- If necessary, to gain insight into the dynamics of the complaint, the North Fulton NAACP Legal Redress Committee will contact the party submitting the complaint and request additional information or a conference between the party filing the complaint and the North Fulton NAACP Legal Redress Committee.
- Once sufficient facts have been obtained by the North Fulton NAACP Legal Redress Committee, the best course of action will be determined and communicated to the party filing the complaint.
- When necessary and applicable, the North Fulton NAACP Legal Redress Committee will refer the party filing the complaint to resources and agencies to obtain legal counsel.