Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, Inc. Executive Director Samuel W. Milkes has authored an article entitled Funding for Civil Legal Aid: Where Do We Go From Here?, that appears in the current edition of The Pennsylvania Lawyer (May-June 2017), the magazine of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

The article explores the state of funding for civil legal assistance in Pennsylvania and the current challenges faced by the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, law school clinics, pro bono providers and all the other providers of civil legal aid in the state.

The current ability of providers to meet the need for civil legal assistance is already falling short, with new challenges on the horizon, including President Trump's budget proposal to eliminate federal funding for the Legal Services Corporation. Despite the organized efforts of the Courts, the Pennsylvania legislature led by Senator Stewart Greenleaf, and the organized bar, including the Pennsylvania Bar Association and other local professional lawyer organizations from around the state, funding for civil legal assistance continues to be inadequate to meet the demand and need for assistance.

The article calls on lawyers to urge decision-makers in the General Assembly and Congress to support access to justice through their ongoing support of civil legal aid and any legislative initiatives brought before them in order to stabilize and increase funding for the civil justice system. 

The article may be viewed at the link below.

View the Article