Lawyers e-Journal
Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012
Top: Lt. Gov. Tim Murray speaks at the 13th Annual Walk to the Hill
Bottom: Hundreds of lawyers from across Massachusetts attend the annual program.
Photos by Jeff Thiebauth.
Hundreds gather for annual Walk to the Hill
Hundreds of lawyers from across Massachusetts converged on the
State House today to implore their legislators that funding for the
Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation be increased $5 million
to $14.5 million in the fiscal year 2013 budget.
The 13th annual Walk to the Hill for Civil Legal Aid featured a
surprise visit from Lt. Gov. Tim Murray, who told a
standing-room-only crowd in the Great Hall of Flags he is confident
the governor will sign a supplemental budget to increase MLAC's
funding this current fiscal year "because he believes in what you
do."
"You represent people who have been disenfranchised . . . you make
sure they are heard," Murray said. "Thank you for your
advocacy."
In the past four years alone, MLAC has seen a drop in its funding
from the Interest on Lawyers' Trust Accounts from $17 million to
just over $3 million and has reduced its staff attorneys by 34
percent. At the same time, the number of people in Massachusetts
who qualify for civil legal aid has jumped 11 percent to just under
one million.
"The free lunch from IOLTA is gone," Supreme Judicial Court
Associate Justice Ralph D. Gants said. "The legal problems of the
poor have not dwindled. They too have grown."
Gants said there is no way to ask for less than the $5 million
increase, which he considers a "sound investment" for the
commonwealth. "Legal services ensure the promise of justice for all
is more than just a promise," he said.
MBA President Richard P. Campbell commended the governor for
stepping up and recommending $12 million for MLAC for fiscal year
2013, but it's not enough.
"Legal service organizations throughout the state are being pushed
to their breaking point as they are faced with drastic cuts in
IOLTA funds and an ever-increasing need for services," he said.
"The sad truth is that the resources fall short of the need for
legal aid."
Increased funding is critical to restore service levels and
prevent further cuts to legal aid programs, as they have been
struggling to meet demand due to a 78 percent decrease in revenue
since fiscal year 2008 in IOLTA funding.
"Thousands of low-income Massachusetts residents with critical
problems . . . have to be turned away when they seek legal aid,"
Boston Bar Association President Lisa C. Goodheart said.
Without the help of Greater Boston Legal Services, Remon Jourdan
of Randolph would never have been able to fix a discrepancy between
MassHealth and his doctor that left his personal care attendants
without pay for one month. Jourdan, who is confined to a wheelchair
following a car accident 10 years ago, said GBLS was able to
convince MassHealth to retroactively pay his attendants.
"It was like a weight lifted from my shoulders," Jourdan said. "I
know it might not seem like a big case, but for me it was
huge."
The event was sponsored by the Equal Justice Coalition, Boston Bar
Association and MBA, and was co-sponsored by 30 county and
specialty bar associations.
Click here to view Campbell's
remarks.