Preserving Access to Justice
Join the MBA in advocating for adequate court and legal
services funding.
Share your story
The Massachusetts Bar Association has created a task force to
put a human face on the impact that drastic budget cuts are having
in the courts. Click here to share
anecdotal stories from clients about understaffed courts or
unreasonable delays with the Crisis in Court Funding Task Force.
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MBA outreach
- Click
here to view MBA President Valerie A. Yarashus' letter to Gov.
Deval Patrick regarding the Massachusetts Court System budget.
- Click here to view Supreme Judicial Court Chief
Justice Margaret H. Marshall's 2009 annual address to the legal
community on the Trial Court budget crisis and its impact on the
public.
- Click here for
an overview of the Massachusetts Trial Court: Funding and Staffing
budget.
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Lobbying event
Walk to the Hill, Jan. 27
On Wednesday, Jan. 27, the MBA will once again co-sponsor a Walk
to the Hill for Civil Legal Aid to advocate for increased funding
for civil legal services throughout the commonwealth. The
11th annual Walk to the Hill takes place from 11 a.m. to
1 p.m. in the Great Hall at the Statehouse. Walk to the Hill is one
of the largest lobbying events at the Statehouse, and last year
drew a crowd of more than 750 ― the highest turnout in the event's
history.
The past year's economic troubles have
taken a toll on civil legal aid in Massachusetts. Income from the
Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts (IOLTA) program has plummeted
63 percent since fiscal year 2008 and is not expected to increase
in fiscal year 2010. Compounding this loss is the decrease in the
civil legal aid line item ― from $11 million in fiscal year 2009 to
$9.5 million in fiscal year 2010.
For more information, click
here. To view a funding fact sheet, click here.
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Contact your legislators
Contact key legislators about the
Trial Court budget crisis. Click
here to contact your representative. Click
here to contact your senator. Click here to find out who your legislators
are.