In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, many Texas residents have entirely new problems on their hands: rebuilding. For many folks, legal services organizations, such as Lone Star Legal Aid and Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, are going to be essential in assisting them to get their life back on track. These organizations have already begun assisting victims with what is likely to be a long road ahead. (Author note: as of the time of publication of this article, Hurricane Irma is barreling towards Florida and the Southeast, but has not yet made landfall in the contiguous United States. While this article focuses on the legal ramifications for Harvey victims, the victims of Irma…
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Eliminating Funding to Legal Services for Low-Income North Carolinians Will Eliminate Equal Access to Justice
“Eliminate Access to Civil Justice Funds” – that is the ominous title of a provision in the North Carolina’s House of Representatives Appropriations Committee’s proposed 2017 Budget. Not cut, eliminate. If passed, this provision would be devastating to legal services available to low-income North Carolinians who cannot otherwise hire an attorney, but are in desperate situations. Those hurt would be domestic violence victims, people on the verge of homelessness, and veterans trying to access benefits they earned with service to this country. The proposed budget provision would eliminate $1.7 million in funding for Legal Aid of North Carolina (LANC), Legal Services of the Southern Piedmont (LSSP), and Pisgah Legal…
