Professor Dunlap published an article in the Standard Times on the importance of funding civil legal aid for low-income people.
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UMass Law Professor Justine Dunlap published an article in the Standard Times on the importance of funding civil legal aid for low-income people. Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC) is currently seeking $26 million in 2020 to provide legal services to those who fall below the federal poverty line ($31,375 annual salary for a family of four). Currently, an estimated 67% of applicants who fall below the poverty line are turned away due to insufficient resources. The funding would help MLAC provide legal aid in connection with housing, benefits, domestic violence, child support, and custody.
Professor Dunlap explains why supporting MLAC benefits not only the people in need but also the Commonwealth as a whole:
“In fiscal 2018, legal services agencies funded by MLAC provided more than $60 million in recovered benefits and cost-savings to the commonwealth. Further, according to the report from the Boston Bar Association’s 2014 statewide task force to expand legal services, every dollar put into eviction and foreclosure legal services saves the state $2.69. Every dollar spent on a lawyer helping to secure an entitlement to federal benefits recoups nearly $5. In addition to these savings, if a legal services lawyer can help a person gain or regain benefits that have been erroneously denied or terminated, dignity is also restored. Although dignity’s value may be hard to quantify, we all know its worth.”
In addition, Professor Dunlap identifies other organizations and programs that can help close the justice gap. There has been some progress toward making the courts more accessible to people who cannot afford lawyers. In addition, private lawyers help through pro bono service, such as the 21,600 hours provided in a recent three-year period by retired lawyers and judges in the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission’s Fellows Program, and the 31,500 hours provided by UMass Law students since 2011. Although pro bono services help, Professor Dunlap emphasizes funding the MLAC is still crucial. “It is a situation where justice, dignity, and economic common-sense go hand-in-hand. That’s a worthy combination deserving legislative support.”
To read the article, please visit: https://www.southcoasttoday.com/opinion/20190129/your-view-civil-legal-aid-saves-money-and-is-right-thing-to-do