Civil Legal Aid Funding

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 Defense 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  http://ambar.org/ABArray. 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.

Toolkits and Resources

• U.S. DOJ Office of ATJ Initiatives Toolkit: Federal Funding/Resource Opportunities Outside of Legal Services Corporation
  • Civil Legal Aid 101
  • How legal aid supports federal policy goals
  • Select federal resources (funding & other) that can benefit legal aid

• ABA Manual of Fundraising Ideas for Civil Legal Aid (updated chapters available!)

Resolutions and Supporting Documents

• American Bar Association Cy Pres Resolution (2016)
• Conference of Chief Justices, Resolution 4 in Support of the Statement of Best Practices for State Funding of Civil Legal Aid (2015)
• ABA Resource Center for Access to Justice Initiatives Statement of Best Practices for State Legislative Funding of Civil Legal Aid (2015)
• Conference of Chief Justices, Resolution 7 Reaffirming the Critical Importance of Adequate Funding of the Legal Services Corporation (2015)

Articles and Reports

• Cy Pres Awards, Legal Aid and Access to Justice: Key Issues in 2013 and Beyond - Management Information Exchange (Spring 2013)
• "Class Action Settlement Residue and Cy Pres Awards: Emerging Problems & Practical Solutions" - Virginia Journal of Law & Social Policy (March, 2014)
• "Natural Allies: Philanthropy and Civil Legal Aid" makes the case for charitable funders to invest in legal aid Public Welfare Foundation (Fall 2013)

Data and Statistics

• Resources for Civil Legal Aid, 2016 Data
• Legal Services Corporation (LSC): current and historical funding/appropriation data.

State by State

• Legislative funding for legal aid
• Legal aid funding through bar dues/fees
• Statutes, court rules, and lawyer practice rules supporting civil legal aid funding
• Legislation and Court Rules Providing for Legal Aid to Receive Class Action Residuals

Recent ATJ Commission Activity:

• Massachusetts ATJ Commission project to target large philanthropic donors via fundraising campaign.
• Connecticut ATJ Commission launches LawyerCorps Connecticut fellowship program with corporate funding partners.