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Dear Commissioners and Friends of the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission,
As we kick off 2026, the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission is looking ahead to a busy and meaningful start to the year. Below, you’ll find information about our upcoming February Commission Meeting, details on Walk to the Hill, information about a community partners survey the Commission‘s Community Partners Working Group is conducting, as well as information about upcoming conferences you may be interested in attending.
We look forward to staying connected and continuing to move access to justice forward together in the year ahead.
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Walk to the Hill!
Next week, on January 28, 2026, members of the Massachusetts Access to Justice community are encouraged to take part in Walk to the Hill, when hundreds of attorneys and law students will gather to advocate for increased funding for civil legal aid. Hosted by the Equal Justice Coalition—a partnership of the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC), the Boston Bar Association, and the Massachusetts Bar Association—this annual event highlights the critical role legal aid plays in supporting the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable residents. Following the program, participants will meet directly with state legislators to urge continued investment in justice, including a $53 million appropriation for MLAC in FY27 (a $2 million increase over last year). Your presence helps ensure that the voices of those most impacted by unmet legal needs are heard.
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Community Partners Survey
The Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission’s Community Partners Working Group is conducting a brief survey to better understand how people across the Commonwealth address their legal problems and where they turn for help. Many individuals first seek assistance from trusted community partners—such as nonprofits, health care providers, libraries, and other local organizations—before ever reaching the courts or legal aid. This 10-minute survey asks organizations to share how they currently help people with legal needs and where they see gaps in support. We encourage you to complete the survey and to share it widely with community partners in your networks whose perspectives are essential to strengthening access to justice in Massachusetts.
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FEBRUARY COMMISSION MEETING
As a reminder, the next meeting of the full Commission will be held remotely on February 11th from 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm. The February meeting will include a presentation from the Harvard A2J Lab. We’ll also hear Dr. Natoschia Scruggs, Chief Officer of the Trial Court’s Access, Diversity, and Fairness Office, on efforts the Trial Court is making to expand language access and from Iris Coloma-Gaines, Statewide Language Access Attorney at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, on the findings and recommendations from a report on language access challenges in the Trial Court that she co-authored titled, Justice Disrupted. Please RSVP here to let me know if you’ll be able to make it. I’ll send out a detailed agenda and the zoom link when the date gets closer.
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Upcoming Conferences
The access to justice community has a busy conference season ahead, beginning with the Legal Services Corporation’s 26th Innovations in Technology Conference (ITC26) in San Antonio, TX from January 28–30, 2026 — a gathering of legal aid advocates, technologists, and justice innovators focused on tech solutions to expand legal help for low-income people; registration and details are available at the official ITC26 page. Later in the spring, the ABA/NLADA Equal Justice Conference will take place May 13–16, 2026 in Charlotte, NC, offering plenary sessions, workshops, and networking to strengthen partnerships and share strategies for improving civil legal services — you can learn more and register via the event site. Early bird registration for the Equal Justice Conference ends February 6, 2026, with the full registration deadline on April 17, 2026.
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading and hope to see you on February 11th!
Warm regards,
Deb
Deb Silva
Director, Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission
617-391-5659 | massa2j.org
dsilva@massa2j.org
Pronouns: she/her/hers