Chief Justice Gants, Attorney General Healey and Bar Association Leaders to Speak at 17th Annual Walk to the Hill

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Media Contact:
Catherine Rizos
617-391-5627
crizos@mlac.org

Chief Justice Gants, Attorney General Healey and Bar Association Leaders to Speak at 17th Annual Walk to the Hill

Hundreds of Attorneys to Gather at State House on Thursday, January 28 to Request $10 Million Increase in Funding for Civil Legal Aid

BOSTON (January 21, 2016)―Chief Justice Ralph Gants of the Supreme Judicial Court and Attorney General Maura Healey will join hundreds of private attorneys from more than 40 law firms at the Massachusetts State House on Thursday, Jan. 28 for the 17th Annual Walk to the Hill for Civil Legal Aid. Attendees of this annual lobby day, one of the largest held at the State House each year, will request a $10 million increase in state funding for programs that provide civil legal aid to low-income Massachusetts residents.

“Civil legal aid is integral to helping low-income people deal with the crises that confront them in everyday life,” said Lonnie Powers, executive director of the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC). “Civil legal aid helps the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable residents avoid homelessness and unemployment, and gain access to health care and veterans’ services, receive a quality education, and escape domestic violence—and does so in a cost-effective manner.”

Speakers at Walk to the Hill will include Chief Justice Gants, Attorney General Maura Healey, Boston Bar Association President Lisa Arrowood, and Massachusetts Bar Association President Bob Harnais. The program will also include the screening of a video demonstrating the need for civil legal assistance in Massachusetts, featuring interviews with court personnel and Massachusetts residents in need of civil legal aid.

Due to lack of funding, civil legal aid programs in Massachusetts are forced to turn away more than 60 percent of those eligible for civil legal aid who seek services.

In 2014, the Boston Bar Association’s Statewide Task Force to Expand Civil Legal Aid in Massachusetts recommended increasing the Commonwealth’s investment in civil legal aid by $30 million over the following three years to begin to address this unmet need.

“Civil legal aid is a potent tool for helping people maintain stable, independent lives,” said MLAC Board Chair Marijane Benner Browne. “Providing legal assistance to low-income people in danger of losing their home or being wrongfully evicted makes much more sense than allowing them to wind up on the street or in a shelter—places where it is difficult, if not impossible, to keep a job, raise a family, or maintain any sense of normalcy.”

Following the speaking program and video screening, attorneys will visit their legislators and urge them to increase funding for MLAC, the largest funder of civil legal aid in Massachusetts, by $10 million in the FY17 state budget, for a total appropriation of $27 million.

Walk to the Hill is sponsored by the Equal Justice Coalition, a collaboration of the Boston Bar Association, Massachusetts Bar Association and the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation. The event is also co-sponsored by numerous county and specialty bar associations throughout Massachusetts.

SPEAKING PROGRAM & VIDEO SCREENING

11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Great Hall of Flags
Massachusetts State House, Boston

The order of speakers is as follows:

  • Attorney General Maura Healey
  • Chief Justice Ralph Gants of the Supreme Judicial Court
  • Massachusetts Bar Association President Bob Harnais
  • Boston Bar Association President Lisa Arrowood
  • Legal aid client

NOTE: Members of the media are welcome to attend all or part of the speaking program. Please follow the Equal Justice Coalition on Twitter as well as the hashtags #IWalkForJustice and #WalktotheHill for the latest on Walk to the Hill 2016.

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About the Equal Justice Coalition

The Equal Justice Coalition, a collaboration of the Boston Bar Association, Massachusetts Bar Association and the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation, works to increase state funding for civil legal aid. For more information, visit www.equaljusticecoalition.org

Equal Justice Coalition Launches New Website

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Media Contact:
Catherine Rizos
617-391-5627
crizos@mlac.org

Equal Justice Coalition Launches New Website

Equal Justice Coalition encourages private attorneys, bar associations, and other advocates to support civil legal aid using its new website

BOSTON, December 18, 2015 – The Equal Justice Coalition, a coalition of bar associations and private attorneys committed to equal justice for all, recently launched a new website to support the coalition’s work to increase state funding for civil legal aid. The redesigned site, with crisp visuals and an easy to navigate layout, enables private attorneys, bar associations, and other advocates to quickly connect with the effort to expand access to the courts for low-income people with civil (non-criminal) cases.

To mobilize support, the website features “Action Alerts,” allowing advocates to quickly plug in to the latest campaign news and contact their elected officials to voice support for civil legal aid. The site also showcases past and future events the Equal Justice Coalition holds in support of civil legal aid, from the annual Walk to the Hill lobby day to the Legislative Recognition Reception.

The Equal Justice Coalition hopes that the revamped website will bolster their continued efforts to increase state funding for civil legal aid.

About the Equal Justice Coalition

The Equal Justice Coalition, a collaboration of the Boston Bar Association, Massachusetts Bar Association and the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC), works to increase the state appropriation for MLAC’s line item (0321-1600). For more information, visit http://www.equaljusticecoalition.org.

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EJC Honors Four Legislators with Beacon of Justice Award

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Media Contact:

Tom Brant

Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation

617-391-5627

tbrant@mlac.org

Equal Justice Coalition Honors Four Legislators with Beacon of Justice Award

BOSTON, January 18, 2013 – The Equal Justice Coalition honored four Massachusetts lawmakers with Beacon of Justice Awards at a reception yesterday at the John Adams Courthouse in Boston.

The honorees were selected for their outstanding support of state funding for the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC). MLAC makes grants to organizations that provide civil legal services for low-income residents with critical problems, such as domestic violence and eviction due to foreclosure.

Justice Ralph D. Gants of the Supreme Judicial Court spoke at the reception, which also welcomed newly-elected legislators who began their terms Jan. 1.

“I thank the awardees for their support of civil legal aid,” Justice Gants said. “They are champions of justice.”

The awardees are:

  • House Speaker Pro Tempore Patricia Haddad (D-Somerset);
  • Senate President Pro Tempore Stanley Rosenberg (D-Amherst);
  • Ruth B. Balser (D-Newton); and
  • Brian Joyce (D-Milton)

“We are thankful for these legislators’ extraordinary effort in support of civil legal aid in the Commonwealth,” said Sandy Moskowitz, chair of the Equal Justice Coalition. “They understand the need for the Commonwealth to invest in providing legal services for low-income people facing critical civil legal problems and have been consistent supporters of that investment.”

The awards were presented by representatives of legal aid organizations that serve constituents in each honoree’s district.

“I am very moved to receive this recognition from the Equal Justice Coalition, whose work is so essential for making sure that our judicial system works for all the people,” said Rep. Balser. “I value their partnership.”

“The MLAC provides our neediest residents with critical legal assistance and protects some of our most vulnerable citizens from abuse,” said Sen. Joyce. “The MLAC keeps families in their homes, protects our seniors and offers justice to residents who cannot otherwise afford to have their voices heard. It is an important program for many residents in the Commonwealth and I was happy to support its continued good work.”

“I deeply appreciate this honor from the Equal Justice Coalition,” Sen. Rosenberg said, “especially so because it comes on the eve of our celebration of Martin Luther King’s life and legacy. Dr. King said ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ I believe that and I gratefully accept this award as a reminder that there is more work to do.”

About The Equal Justice Coalition

The Equal Justice Coalition is a collaboration of the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation, Massachusetts Bar Association and Boston Bar Association. It advocates increasing the state appropriation for civil legal aid, which funds programs throughout the state that provide legal advice and representation to low-income Massachusetts residents facing civil legal problems.