Budget cuts and layoffs in legal assistance

Last November the federal government enacted a bill that slashed federal  funding for civil legal assistance to the poor by about 14% — from  $404.2 million to $348 million, which is the lowest level since 2007.  For this reason, civil legal aid groups that receive money from the Legal Services Corp. have estimated that they will cut 163 lawyers and 230 other employees this year.  This is bad news at a time when it is universally agreed that the vast majority of the legal needs of the poor are not met and that most people do not have access to legal representation.  For more on this story go to to the Blog of the Legal Times and the Wall Street Journal law blog.