Legal-aid services limited as need rises, advocates say, By Rita Price, September 9, 2015, Columbus Dispatch: “Ohio must do more to help poor and low-income residents gain access to the civil-justice system, a state Supreme Court justice and other legal advocates said on Wednesday…”
Tag: Legal aid
Public Defender System – Missouri
Missouri could face legal challenge for shortfalls in public defender system, By Dave Helling, July 19, 2015, Kansas City Star: “Anthony Cardarella represents dozens of clients accused of crimes who are considered too poor to pay for the legal help the U.S. Constitution guarantees them. The public defender is busy, so busy he’s reminded of the classic ‘I Love Lucy’ episode in which a conveyor belt of candy passes far too quickly for the comic to keep pace. ‘It’s a lot like that,’ he said. Cardarella’s heavy workload isn’t unique. Each of Missouri’s public defenders will average more than 200 cases this year, everything from murders and serious felonies to juvenile cases and probation violations. That’s about four cases a week…”
Legal Aid Funding
Major law firms give little to legal aid, study finds, By Elizabeth Olson, June 29, 2015, New York Times: “While major law firms are enjoying record revenues — more than $100 billion last year — they are donating only a tenth of 1 percent of their proceeds for legal aid to low-income people, according to a new analysis released by The American Lawyer. Such institutional giving now accounts for only 7 percent of total legal aid funding, which comes from federal, state and private sources, the publication said…”