Hundreds of lawyers gather at State House to call for more legal assistance funding (WWLP-22News)

Below is an excerpt from a January 24 article, from WWLP-22News, about the EJC’s annual lobby day, Walk to the Hill for Civil Legal Aid.

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Just one day after Governor Baker filed his budget proposal, many attorneys are calling for more legal assistance funding for low-income residents.

At the 20th annual Walk the Hill event, members of the Massachusetts Bar Association and the Equal Justice Coalition complained that legal representation has been drastically underfunded.

They are asking lawmakers for an additional $5 million, on top of the $21 million, the Governor recommended for legal assistance in his fiscal 2020 budget proposal.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants said this money is the only way low-income residents in the Commonwealth can obtain justice.

“Where the poor, the vulnerable, and the challenged can obtain the legal representation they need to understand their rights,” Gants said.

Read more at WLLP-22News.