Getting legal resources to low-income litigants is a major struggle both nationally and on Hoosier soil. According to the Legal Services Corporation 2022 Justice Gap Report, low-income Americans do not get any or enough legal help for 92% of their substantial civil legal problems.
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Military veterans often hear about how much their service is valued, but the transition from active duty to the civilian world is a difficult journey that can force them to face, alone, struggles with physical and mental health, endless bureaucracy and the nuances of living life out of uniform. Compounding the difficulties are the civil legal issues that burden many former service members.
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Indiana Legal Services, a civil legal aid agency for low-income Hoosiers, will receive $9.24 million in federal money for 2023 — a 15% increase over its 2022 appropriation.
Legal Services Corp., which supports legal aid organizations around the country including Indiana Legal Services, has received a $560 million appropriation from Congress — a 14.5% increase over last year’s $489 million and the largest percentage boost in funding since 1979.
Citing the continuing need created by the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Legal Services Corp. is asking Congress for an appropriation of $1.26 billion for fiscal year 2023.
The American Bar Association and Legal Services Corp. are echoing the open call U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has made, asking attorneys around the country to volunteer their services in their communities to help the millions of individuals and families facing evictions now that the moratorium protection has ended.
In a guest column, retired lawyer Kent Hull reflects on his experience as a lawyer with a disability.
The Legal Services Corporation could get an additional $135 million in its pockets, the largest single increase in the legal aid organization’s history, following an approval of funding legislation by the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations.
Saying civil legal aid can help make the American Jobs Plan “work the way Congress intends,” the Legal Services Corp. is requesting supplement funding between $350 million and $500 million be included in the infrastructure package proposed by the Biden administration.
Legal Services Corp., the national funder for legal aid providers across the country, including Indiana Legal Services, was unable to get additional funding through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, but the organization is planning to nearly double its annual budget request to more than $1 billion for fiscal year 2022.
The Legal Services Corporation, which supports legal aid agencies across the country including Indiana Legal Services, is asking the federal government for hundreds of millions in supplemental funding, saying low-income Americans are being hit especially hard by the economic devastation from the pandemic.
The remainder of a multi-million-dollar judgment won by Cohen & Malad against the former Celadon Trucking Services is providing welcome support to civil legal aid in Indiana.
Looming evictions with so many Americans unable to pay their rent have been at the forefront of concerns, but legal aid offices and pro bono attorneys see other issues on the horizon. They expect more filings for bankruptcy and guardianships, and they believe more people will reach out for legal assistance with problems connected with consumer debt and domestic violence. Underpinning their ability to help is the need for money.
With the president’s signature on the $2.3 trillion spending bill, the Legal Services Corporation is set to receive $465 million, the largest appropriation in actual dollars for the organization in its history.
A U.S. Senate subcommittee has proposed a $6 million increase in funding for the Legal Services Corporation, potentially providing additional support as more legal aid offices are bracing for higher demand caused by the worsening COVID-19 crisis.
While still unknown how many families will lose their place to live once the moratoria on evictions are lifted in Indiana and other states, a leading housing expert says the best treatment is providing attorneys to represent those families in court.
Legal aid received another $50 million boost in funding as part of the new economic stimulus bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday, but while the measure is expected to stall in the U.S. Senate, support to appropriate additional money for legal services appears strong on both sides of the aisle.
The American Bar Association is unveiling a new online portal designed to better connect pro bono attorneys with individuals and families who need free legal services because of the national COVID-19 emergency.
Indiana Legal Services will be receiving a booster shot of just over $1 million as part of the additional $50 million in funding Congress allotted to legal aid providers across the country during the COVID-19 emergency. Meanwhile, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers are pushing for another appropriation.
Included in the $2 trillion stimulus package passed by the U.S. Senate on Wednesday is a $50 million appropriation to the Legal Services Corp., which is bracing for a spike in legal needs among those with low income as the economy buckles under the weight of the coronavirus pandemic.
Legal aid providers in Indiana are still serving clients as the coronavirus storm gathers strength, but they are worried about the surge they anticipate will come after the outbreak has passed.
Pointing to what it describes as an “overwhelming need for civil legal services,” Legal Services Corp. is asking a federal appropriation of $652.6 million for fiscal year 2021, a $212.6 million increase from the appropriation it received for fiscal year 2020.