Impact of pandemic on low-income people heightens urgency of civil legal aid

BOSTON, April 14, 2021 – Today, the House Ways and Means Committee presented its Fiscal Year 2022 budget, including $35 million to fund civil legal aid through the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation, line item 0321-1600. That is a $6 million increase over FY21.

“We are extremely grateful to House Speaker Ronald Mariano and House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz for their leadership in providing critical increased funding for civil legal aid, an essential service that safeguards vulnerable people at risk of losing their housing, income, benefits, and other necessary protections,” said Lynne Parker, executive director of MLAC, noting that the funding increase is an important recognition of the profound impact COVID-19 has had on low-income people in Massachusetts. “COVID-19 has not just threatened the lives and livelihood of the most vulnerable people in our communities. In many cases it has also limited their ability to reach out for civil legal aid protections and use the technology necessary to participate in remote court proceedings. Legal aid organizations have been engaged and innovative in responding to this urgent need,” Parker said.

Parker also thanked members of the House for their support of this increased funding, noting that they have seen firsthand during the pandemic how attorneys in civil legal aid organizations across the state have helped their constituents in crisis.

She praised the Equal Justice Coalition, which has championed the essential work of civil legal aid, including the Massachusetts Bar Association, the Boston Bar Association, the Women’s Bar Association, managing partners of many of the state’s largest law firms, and advocates with social services organizations across the Commonwealth.

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Advocates urge legislature to fund civil legal aid at $35M in FY22

With demand for civil legal aid surging amid the COVID-19 pandemic, hundreds of attorneys and law students gathered online to make the case for increased state funding for civil legal aid.

The 22nd annual Walk to the Hill for Civil Legal Aid was reinvented this year as the Talk to the Hill, an online meeting headlined by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Kimberly Budd, and Michael Curry, president and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers.

“We need civil legal aid to be stronger than it has ever been before,” said Healey, supporting the $35 million in funding that the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation is seeking in FY22 – a $6 million increase over FY21. Though she refers to the Attorney General’s office as “The People’s Law Firm,” Healey said, “Legal services attorneys are the people’s lawyers.”

Louis Tompros, chair of the Equal Justice Coalition and partner at WilmerHale, chaired the online meeting, and opened with a moving video tribute to the late SJC Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants, who died unexpectedly in September. A longtime champion of civil legal aid, Chief Justice Gants spoke annually at the Walk to the Hill. “We deeply miss his leadership, and we deeply miss his inspiration,” Tompros said.

Chief Justice Kimberly Budd continued the tradition of the Court’s support of increased civil legal aid funding. “The tragic events of the past year have focused our attention on the many inequities in our society. The pandemic has created unprecedented disruptions in employment, education, childcare, and everyday life. And the resulting hardships have fallen most heavily on those who can least afford them,” said Chief Justice Budd. “If we are truly committed to eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in our society, one of the simplest steps that we can take toward that goal is to make it possible for more people to receive legal aid.”

The annual Walk to the Hill for Civil Legal Aid is hosted by the Equal Justice Coalition, a partnership of the Massachusetts Bar Association, the Boston Bar Association, and the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corp. MLAC Executive Director Lynne Parker said that, “As we look to FY22, we are increasingly concerned that the number of those who qualify for civil legal aid will continue to rise as a result of the pandemic.” She noted that civil legal aid is an essential service, and “a significant and critical part of the Commonwealth’s social safety network.”

Michael Curry, of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, stressed the importance of having lawyers on the front line of public health issues to confront the “social determinants of health.” He asked lawyers to “lean in at this moment,” and urged the legislature to increase critical funding for civil legal aid.

Client testimony
Two clients shared their stories of how legal aid lawyers kept them and their families safely housed and financially stable during the pandemic.

Raymond Malo, a U.S. Army veteran, received help from Veteran’s Legal Services after his landlord sought to evict him and his family after he complained about hazardous conditions in his home. His lawyer not only prevented the eviction, but also is helping him try to purchase the property from the new owners of his duplex. Thanks to VLS, Mello said, “we were able to keep from being thrown out on the streets, and now we have the opportunity to purchase the home.”

Malensky Oscar was wrongly terminated from her job after she took time off to care for her young daughter, whose school closed due to the pandemic. Her job was pressuring her to return, but said she could take unpaid leave through the Family Medical Leave Act. When she tried to return after a three-month leave, Oscar was fired. She applied for back pay and unemployment compensation, but was denied. Her doctor suggested she contact Greater Boston Legal Services, which helped her appeal the denials. “Within a matter of weeks, they were able to have the decision overturned and my funds released to me,” Oscar said. “I do believe that if I didn’t reach out and have GBLS with me to help with the appeal…that I would not have been able to get my family out of that financial burden.”

“If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that civil legal aid is an essential resource for vulnerable individuals and families,” said Denise Murphy, president of the Massachusetts Bar Association. “The number of civil cases involving critical legal issues has risen dramatically, as has the number of people who qualify for assistance.”

Boston Bar President Martin Murphy also made the case for increased funding. “At the core of the rule of law is a vision of equality, a belief that the law should protect us all – not just the rich, or the powerful, or the privileged,” he said. “But we know the rule of law can’t defend itself. Without funding for civil legal aid lawyers – the lawyers who are truly essential frontline workers in the fight for economic and racial justice – the vision of equal access to justice that breathes life into the rule of law is really nothing more than an illusion.”

At the conclusion of the speaking program, lawyers, advocates, and law students broke into 40 Zoom meetings with members of the state legislature to advocate for the funding increase. Jacquelynne Bowman, executive director of Greater Boston Legal Services urged them to tell their legislators, “People are hurting, and many of our most vulnerable neighbors, who struggled before the pandemic, are at even greater risk today.”

Tompros added, “Tell them civil legal aid is an essential service, and everyone who needs a lawyer should have one.”

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Watch the speaking program on YouTube.

More news coverage of Talk to the Hill:
The Boston Globe: SJC Chief Justice Kimberly Budd calls for increased civil legal aid funding for low-income residents
The Salem News: Budd pushes for civil legal aid funding
Mass. Bar Association eJournal: Legal Aid Advocacy Goes Virtual At Talk To The Hill
Boston Bar Association: Hundreds Gathered to Advocate for Civil Legal Aid Funding at Virtual Talk to the Hill
UMass Law – Feature Stories: UMass Law honored for highest participation in 2020 Walk to the Hill event that raises funds for civil legal aid

BOSTON, MA — In remarks delivered today at Talk to the Hill for Civil Legal Aid, Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Kimberly S. Budd spoke of the need for increased state funding for organizations that provide civil legal aid to vulnerable low income Massachusetts residents, a need made more urgent during the pandemic. Walk to the Hill, an annual event in its 22nd year, was renamed Talk to the Hill this year and held virtually due to the pandemic.

“The tragic events of the past year have focused our attention on the many inequities in our society. The pandemic has created unprecedented disruptions in employment, education, childcare, and everyday life. And the resulting hardships have fallen most heavily on those who can least afford them,” said Chief Justice Budd.

Organized by the Equal Justice Coalition, the event called for increased funding for the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC), the largest funding source for civil legal aid organizations in the state, by $6 million in the Fiscal Year 2022 state budget, for a total appropriation of $35 million.

According to MLAC, legal aid organizations in Massachusetts turn away 56% of eligible residents seeking help. Residents whose income is at or below 125% of the federal poverty level ($32,750/year for a family of four) are eligible for civil legal aid.

Chief Justice Budd said that data from the federal Legal Services Corporation (LSC) shows that over half of the clients served by state legal services organizations receiving LSC grants are people of color.

“If we are truly committed to eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in our society, one of the simplest steps that we can take toward that goal is to make it possible for more people to receive legal aid,” she said.

“We are very fortunate to live in a state where the Governor and the Legislature understand these issues,” Chief Justice Budd said. “In recent years, the Legislature has provided steady increases in funding for legal services. As a result, we have seen significant improvements in the percentages of people receiving assistance.”

Still, Chief Justice Budd noted, legal services organizations must turn away over half of those who ask for help. “They do not have the resources to meet everyone’s needs,” she said. “And as you all know, those needs are especially great right now, with all of the problems caused by the pandemic. Employment, housing, family law, domestic violence, consumer debt, and immigration are all areas of particular concern.”

“For every dollar spent on civil legal aid, MLAC tells us, we reap roughly two dollars in economic benefits for the Commonwealth and its residents. But more importantly, the additional legal assistance that dollar provides may be the difference for someone between having a home and losing it, making ends meet or going without heat, staying safe or living in fear,” said Chief Justice Budd.

The program began with a tribute to the late Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants, who championed civil legal aid funding.

In addition to SJC Chief Justice Budd, speakers included: Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey; Michael Curry, Esq., President & CEO of Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers; Massachusetts Bar Association President Denise Murphy; Boston Bar Association President Martin Murphy; Lynne M. Parker, Executive Director of Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation; Jacquelynne Bowman, Executive Director of Greater Boston Legal Services; and civil legal aid clients who received assistance during the pandemic. Louis Tompros, Chair of the Equal Justice Coalition, hosted the event.

Following the speaking portion of the event, lawyers, law students, and advocates in attendance moved into virtual breakout rooms to speak directly to state legislators to encourage them to increase funding in the Fiscal Year 2022 state budget for the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation.

The Equal Justice Coalition is a collaboration of the Boston Bar Association, Massachusetts Bar Association, and the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation. The Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation was established by the state legislature in 1983 to ensure that low income residents with critical, non-criminal legal matters would have access to legal information, advice and representation. Civil legal aid organizations provide support to individuals in cases related to housing, employment, family law, domestic violence, health care, education, immigration, and protection of seniors, among other civil matters.

Hundreds of attorneys and law students will urge legislators to support $35 million in state funding for civil legal aid at Talk to the Hill virtual lobby day on Jan. 27

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Kimberly Budd, President & CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers Michael Curry, Esq., and prominent members of the Massachusetts legal community will rally online with hundreds of attorneys, law students, and advocates on Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 11 a.m. for Talk to the Hill for Civil Legal Aid. Attendees will ask state legislators to provide $35 million in fiscal year 2022 to the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation to fund organizations that provide legal advice and representation at no cost to low-income Massachusetts residents.

Talk to the Hill is the 22nd annual gathering of Massachusetts attorneys in support of legal aid funding through the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation. Typically, Walk to the Hill for Civil Legal Aid draws hundreds to the Massachusetts State House, but due to the pandemic, the event will be online for the first time.

“The principle of equal access to justice is a pillar of our Commonwealth,” said Louis Tompros, chair of the Equal Justice Coalition and partner at WilmerHale. “The need for quality civil legal representation for low-income people has increased dramatically during the pandemic. It is the safety net for people who have been rendered even more vulnerable by the COVID-19 crisis.”

Following the speaking program, attendees will move into virtual breakout rooms to speak directly to state legislators about the urgent need to increase funding for civil legal aid by $6 million, for a total of $35 million in the FY22 state budget.

LIST OF SPEAKERS
– Attorney General Maura Healey
– Chief Justice Kimberly Budd, Supreme Judicial Court
– Michael Curry, Esq., President & CEO, Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers
– Denise Murphy, President of the Massachusetts Bar Association
– Martin Murphy, President of the Boston Bar Association
– Lynne Parker, Executive Director, Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation
– Jacquelynne J. Bowman, Executive Director, Greater Boston Legal Services
– Legal Aid clients who received help during the pandemic will share how legal aid assisted them and their families
– Host: Louis Tompros, Chair, Equal Justice Coalition

Media are welcome to attend the speaking program and the virtual event is open to the public. Please register by January 26 at https://ejctalktothehill.org/

About the EJC

The Equal Justice Coalition is a collaboration of the Boston Bar Association, Massachusetts Bar Association, and the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation working to increase state funding for civil legal aid.

www.equaljusticecoalition.org
@equaljusticema
#IWalkforJustice

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