Legal Services Corp's Chairman reacts to funding cuts: 2012 will be daunting.
In a press release today addressing a 14 percent reduction in funding for 2012, Legal Services Corporation’s Chairman John G. Levi echoed the access to justice crisis concerns and warnings we’ve all heard before.
Federal funding has long been the cornerstone for legal aid, and essential to fulfilling our nation’s promise of equal justice for all. We all understand that the rule of law is in jeopardy when the protections of the law are not available to increasingly large numbers of low-income citizens—especially victims of domestic abuse, the elderly and people facing the loss of their homes. The nation’s poverty population has never been this large, and, as a consequence, requests for civil legal assistance are increasing.
He also outlined three ways LSC is trying to do its part in promoting access to justice:
- Expanding partnership and collaborations
- Using the newly established Pro Bono Task Force to identify innovative practices that can help increase pro bono services
- Exploring how to more effectively use technology
There are lots of great and innovative ideas out there about pro bono and how to address our access to justice crisis and many conversations have taken place — now is the time for implementation. Let’s do.
Read Levi’s entire statement here.
If you work for an LSC-funded organization, how are you adapting to the funding cuts? How, if at all, will you fill the gaps?