Press Release  Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Calls for Increased Civil Legal Aid at 20th Annual Walk to the Hill

BOSTON, MA — At the 20th annual Walk to the Hill event today at the Massachusetts State House, Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants joined hundreds of attorneys, law students and others in calling for increased state funding of programs that provide civil legal aid to vulnerable low income Massachusetts residents in need.

"What is it worth to have a Commonwealth where the poor, the vulnerable, and the challenged can obtain the legal assistance they need to understand their rights, to be able to invoke those rights, and to get a fair chance to obtain justice?" Chief Justice Gants said. "What makes this Walk to the Hill so remarkable is not how much we demand, but how little we ask."

Organized by the Equal Justice Coalition, the event called for increased funding for the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC), the largest funding source for civil legal aid programs in the state, by $5 million in the Fiscal Year 2020 state budget, for a total appropriation of $26 million.  

According to MLAC, legal aid programs in Massachusetts turn away 65% of eligible residents seeking help from civil legal aid programs - nearly 45,000 people each year. Residents whose income is at or below 125% of the federal poverty level ($31,375/year for a family of four) are eligible for civil legal aid.

Noting that civil legal aid organizations have to turn away tens of thousands of people seeking help because of a lack of resources, Chief Justice Gants described a number of issues that lead families and individuals to seek help from civil legal aid organizations. "Lives have been upended by opiate addiction, by the threat of deportation, by eviction, by elder abuse, by wage theft, or by domestic violence," Chief Justice Gants said.

In addition to Chief Justice Gants, speakers included Massachusetts Bar Association President Christopher Kenney; Boston Bar Association President Jonathan Albano; Louis Tompros, Chair of the Equal Justice Coalition; Lynne Parker, Executive Director of Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation; Jacquelynne Bowman, Executive Director of Greater Boston Legal Services; and legal aid client Fred Connelly, who told his story of how legal aid helped him.

Following the speaking portion of the event, those in attendance visited their elected state legislators to encourage them to increase funding in the Fiscal Year 2020 state budget for the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation. The Equal Justice Coalition is a collaboration of the Boston Bar Association, Massachusetts Bar Association, and the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation. The Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation was established by the state legislature in 1983 to ensure that low income residents with critical, non-criminal legal matters would have access to legal information, advice and representation. Civil legal aid organizations provide support to individuals in cases related to housing, employment, family law, domestic violence, health care, education, immigration, and protection of elders, among other civil matters.

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