Photo Credit: Mike Vigneux
MBA President Marsha V. Kazarosian speaks about the need for increased funding for civil legal services throughout the commonwealth at the Jan. 29 Walk to the Hill for Civil Legal Aid.
Hundreds of attorneys participated in the 16th annual Walk to
the Hill for Civil Legal Aid at the State House on Thursday. The
Massachusetts Bar Association, the Equal Justice Coalition (EJC)
and the Boston Bar Association asked participants to urge their
legislators to support increased state funding for civil legal
aid.
The EJC is calling on state lawmakers to adequately fund the
Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC) line item in the
state budget. MLAC is requesting $25 million in the FY16 budget.
Despite a state funding increase last fiscal year from the
Massachusetts Legislature, overall funding for civil legal aid in
Massachusetts has declined in recent years.
"This is not a legal issue, it is a universal issue," said MBA
President Marsha V. Kazarosian in her remarks at the event. "And so
as we meet with legislative leadership and the key members of
Governor Baker's administration, we will continue to address the
dire need for increased funding for legal aid as we stand with the
many bar organizations who have worked to support legal aid for the
poor."
In addition to Kazarosian, Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice
Ralph D. Gants, Attorney General Maura Healey and Boston Bar
Association President Julia Huston also addressed the importance of
funding for civil legal aid in their remarks. Two speakers also
shared their experiences about how they were helped by legal-aid
funded attorneys.
Walk to the Hill was co-sponsored by the Equal Justice
Coalition, MBA, Boston Bar Association and many local and specialty
bar associations. Attorneys from several Boston-area law firms and
organizations participated.