On Thursday, Jan. 27, the Massachusetts Bar Association co-sponsored Talk to the Hill for Civil Legal Aid to advocate for increased funding for civil legal services throughout the commonwealth. Members of the legal community gathered virtually to hear about the $41 million budget request for Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation for FY23.
Traditionally held as Walk to the Hill, which draws hundreds of lawyers to the State House each year to request their legislators' support for funding for civil legal aid, this year’s program was conducted as a virtual event for the second year in a row due to the pandemic and had over 850 registrants.
The Talk to the Hill speaking portion also included remarks from MBA President Thomas M. Bond, Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Kimberly S. Budd, Attorney General Maura Healey, U.S. House of Representatives Assistant Speaker Katherine M. Clark, Boston Bar Association President Deborah J. Manus, Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation Executive Director Lynne M. Parker, Greater Boston Legal Services Executive Director Jacquelynne J. Bowman, and legal aid clients who told their moving stories of how having a civil legal aid attorney impacted their lives.
Following the speaking program, participants joined Zoom breakout rooms to speak with senators and representatives from their respective districts.
It is not too late to make your support for civil legal aid known. Please reach out to your legislators and voice your support for $41 million in funding for civil legal aid in the FY23 state budget. For more information on civil legal aid, click here. To find out who your legislators are, click here. To learn more about this year’s Talk to the Hill event, visit https://ejctalktothehill.org.