Financial resource limitations remain one of the largest barriers preventing civil legal aid providers, even with their pro bono allies, from addressing the needs of low-income client communities.
ATJ Commissions are critical actors in preserving and expanding civil legal aid funding streams, which include federal Legal Services Corporation (LSC) funds, Interest on Lawyers Trust Account (IOLTA) funds, state/local legislative appropriations, court filing-fee revenue, revenue from attorney licensing fees and bar dues, foundation grants, philanthropic donations, and residuals from class action settlements directed to legal aid via the cy pres doctrine.
The Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants is committed to supporting efforts to expand funding for civil legal aid at the federal, state, and local level. One way this is accomplished is through the collection and provision of data on the current state of legal aid funding, which SCLAID has been conducting for many years. The national aggregated legal aid funding data collected by SCLAID can be accessed through an online graphical data array available at www.ABArray.org. More detailed data is available to authorized users at the login link below:
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Contact the Director for the ABA Resource Center for Access to Justice Initiatives for further information.