hen I was a young girl growing up in Roanoke,
Virginia, our class started each day with the Pledge
of Allegiance. The Pledge ended with the words
from which I drew inspiration: “Justice for All.” Now, those
words ring hollow for many Coloradans.
Wealth inequality has been widely discussed as a political issue.
Less attention, however, is paid to the ever-growing barriers to
civil justice for low-income people trying to protect themselves
and their families. Access to legal counsel is a growing national
problem even though there are
now more than 41,000 lawyers in
Colorado. In nearly all civil cases –
eviction, foreclosure, unpaid wages,
and domestic violence – there is no
right to counsel at public expense as
there is in the criminal system.
Those who cannot afford to hire an
attorney must fend for themselves.
Colorado Legal Services (CLS) is a
Colorado non-profit Corporation. It is
the last hope for many facing serious
civil legal problems. Go to:
http://www.coloradolegalservices.org.
CLS provides free legal help to low-
income individuals and families.
Clients of CLS include veterans,
seniors, and people with disabilities. Over two-thirds of the
clients are female. In 2018, CLS closed 9,358 cases, benefitting
18,883 low-income Coloradans. Besides legal representation,
Colorado Legal Services provides for no charge: materials,
forms, and clinics for people to learn how to represent
themselves in court in civil cases.
Still, access to justice is not assured. The fundamental right of
“justice for all” is at risk for millions of Americans. A recent
study found that in the past year, 86 percent of low-income
Americans with civil legal problems received inadequate or
no legal help. Here in Colorado, CLS turns away at least one
income-eligible person for every person it is able to help due to
a lack of resources.
Many lawyers and law firms in the state donate every year to
the Colorado Legal Aid Foundation, a non-profit whose sole
mission is to raise funds for Colorado Legal Services. But
with more and more Coloradans struggling to find affordable
medical care, housing, transportation and food, the need
for civil legal aid continues to grow.
Lawyers are not on most families’
budget.
Approximately 40 percent of the
funding for Colorado Legal Services
is provided by the federal government
through an annual appropriation from
the federal Legal Services Corporation.
A new federal budget will be negotiated
shortly. Some politicians have called
for a complete federal de-funding of the
LSC. Please let your representatives and
our senators know that access to justice
for all is important to you, and demand
robust funding for the Legal Services
Corporation. H.R. 2157
As a member of the board of Colorado
Legal Aid Foundation, may I ask you please to consider a
donation to CLAF at http://www.legalaidfoundation.org. And when
you next visit your lawyer, ask her whether she has made a
contribution to Colorado Legal Aid Foundation as well.
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Linda J. Chalat
Attorney/Partner
JUSTICE FOR ALL
Linda Chalat talks access to legal counsel for low-income
people trying to protect themselves and their families.
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