An advocate for the poor, former convicts

By Aussiegirl

And this is of interest as well:

Bush pick described as advocate for the poor, former convicts - The Boston Globe

She hails from a conservative state and she works for a conservative president, but the Supreme Court nominee, Harriet E. Miers, is highly regarded in Dallas by colleagues from across the political spectrum, as a legal-aid pioneer who helped boost the fortunes of the poor and minorities and who aided former inmates seeking to rebuild their lives after prison.

As a lawyer at a high-powered corporate law firm, Miers supported minority scholarships, and promoted African-American and Hispanic representation in the local bar association, lawyers said. She also was pivotal in prodding big law firms to staff legal clinics for the poor, helping Legal Aid of North Texas and the bar association to provide regular help to low-income people in four local clinics.

''She's a humanitarian," said Chris Reed-Brown of the Dallas Volunteer Training Program, an effort of Legal Aid of North Texas and the Dallas Bar Association.