Below is the full text of a State House News article from 01/23/2025.
By Alison Kuznitz
STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, JAN. 23, 2025…..A coalition of attorneys, law students, bar associations and activists called on Beacon Hill lawmakers Thursday to boost funding for civil legal aid to keep up with high demand and support low-income people navigate issues associated with housing, domestic violence and health care access.
The Equal Justice Coalition is seeking $54 million for the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation’s line item in the fiscal 2026 state budget, with the aim of ensuring fewer vulnerable people are turned away when seeking urgent legal help. Gov. Maura Healey recommended level funding MLAC at $51 million in her budget.
More than 105,000 people benefitted from civil legal aid in fiscal 2024, and that support delivered $109 million in estimated cost savings to the state, MLAC said.
With expanded funding in recent budget cycles — the MLAC account was funded at $35 million in fiscal 2022 — advocates say legal aid organizations managed to serve more people and turn fewer eligible applicants away. MLAC estimates the turn-away rate is now 44%, compared to 60% a few years ago.
“To handle more cases, we need more lawyers. To have more lawyers, we need more funding,” Louis Tompros, partner at WilmerHale and coalition chair, told hundreds of lawyers and supporters gathered for the annual “Walk to the Hill” advocacy day.
“There are brilliant, qualified and dedicated lawyers ready to help,” Tompros continued. “We just need funding for them, and we know that funding for civil legal aid works both socially and economically.”
Each dollar invested in civil legal aid translates into a return of $2 to $5 for Massachusetts due to savings on public expenditures in areas like health care and housing, Tompros said. MLAC funding flows to 16 legal aid organizations across the state.
While criminal defendants are guaranteed a right to counsel, civil legal aid organizations fill a gap for low-income residents who otherwise wouldn’t receive help for civil legal matters, which also include immigration, employment, education, consumer problems and elder issues.
People and households with incomes at or below 125% of the federal poverty level — $40,187 for a family of four or $19,562 for an individual — qualify for civil legal aid.
Healey proposed to hold MLAC funding at its fiscal 2025 level. Advocates last year sought $55 million in aid, which MLAC Executive Director Lynne Parker said reflected economic and budget projections.
Budget writers this winter and spring will contend with modest tax revenue growth, and Healey’s budget pares back in areas, looking to save money by laying off mental health case managers and closing two hospitals.
Parker said it’s difficult to pinpoint how many additional people could access civil legal aid if MLAC receives its full funding request.
“Sometimes with increased funding, it means that lawyers and paralegals can handle more complicated cases that take longer,” she told the News Service. “Some of that funding goes to being able to recruit and retain new staff and to continue to bring on staff that might have language needs or have cultural competence with the community that they’re serving.”
Parker, asked whether migrants qualify for civil legal aid, said it depends on their type of need and the availability of services and staffing at regional organizations.
“Without sufficient resources to meet the tremendous demand for legal aid, low-income people are left to navigate the court system on their own, which can threaten their homes, their livelihoods and their right to access to justice,” Victoria Santoro, president of the Massachusetts Bar Association, said.
The state’s housing crisis is a driver of people needing legal assistance, said Matthew McTygue, president of the Boston Bar Association.
“Legal services agencies are among the essential frontline workers helping the new arrivals to the commonwealth succeed and contribute to their communities and the broader economy,” McTygue said.