The Legal Services Corporation (LSC), which distributes federal funds to legal aid organizations nationwide, recently released . The study makes plain that there continues to be an immense gap between the need for legal help with critical civil legal issues and the resources available to meet those needs.
If you’re an indigent criminal defendant, the government provides you with a lawyer at no cost to you. But there is no such guarantee if you’re involved in a civil case, even though civil cases often impact life-altering issues like access to healthcare, domestic violence, veterans’ benefits, financial fraud perpetrated on vulnerable elders, housing, child custody, and employment.
LSC’s report found that in the past year, three-quarters of low-income households experienced one or more civil legal problems, and more than a third of low-income households experienced five or more substantial civil legal problems. What’s even more troubling is that the data show that a staggering 92% of the time, Americans face these challenges with little or no legal assistance. These enormous unmet legal needs are not only extremely detrimental to individuals and families, but the justice gap decreases the public’s faith in the justice system to treat everyone fairly. A legal system too expensive for those who need it will never live up to the promise of “equal justice for all” because without access, there can be no justice.
The picture in Massachusetts largely mimics the national trends identified by LSC. Insufficient funding currently forces legal aid organizations in Massachusetts to turn away nearly 60% of eligible people who seek help. Importantly, though, we are making progress. Recent funding increases have enabled civil legal aid organizations to serve more people, and additional legal aid funding for 2023 has received strong support in both the Massachusetts’ House and Senate. Money from the Massachusetts IOLTA Committee also continues to be a critical source of funding for legal aid organizations, as it has been for four decades, and helps to narrow the justice gap here.
LSC’s study is a stark and important reminder that there is much more urgent work to be done, particularly to meet the tremendous legal needs of communities disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information on how you can help Massachusetts truly achieve justice for all by supporting the IOLTA Committee and legal aid organizations, visit www.maiolta.org.