Massachusetts Bar Association President Bob Harnais met with
Representatives Paul Brodeur (D-Melrose) and Christine Barber
(D-Somerville) at the Boston Housing Court today, following up on
his offer to take any legislator willing to visit a local
courthouse to see firsthand the need for civil legal aid.
John Carroll, Chair of the Equal Justice Coalition; Lonnie
Powers, Executive Director of Massachusetts Legal Assistance
Corporation; and Barbara Zimbel from Greater Boston Legal Services
also took part in the tour, which helped put faces to the
statistics that show 64 percent of eligible clients are turned away
from legal aid programs due to a lack of resources.
The group visited the Housing Court session and met with Housing
Court Chief Justice Timothy Sullivan, Judge Jeffrey Winik and Judge
MaryLou Muirhead.