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Legal Aid Societies Hit Hard By Recession
By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 19, 2009
Modified Jan 19, 2009
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By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 19, 2009
Modified Jan 19, 2009
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Legal aid societies that offer pro bono services to poor people with noncriminal cases such as foreclosure disputes and evictions have been battered by the recession, just as the need for their services is soaring. The Federal Reserve’s interest rate cuts have cost legal aid groups around the nation dearly, because much of their funding comes from law firms that donate the interest from short-term deposits held in trust for clients during real estate deals. Cutbacks in staffing could soon reach 20% nationwide, while requests for legal aid have risen by at least 30%. And here in New York, Governor Paterson's proposed budget would cut the entire $8 million it gives to legal service groups. Steven Banks, chief attorney for New York City’s Legal Aid Society, tells the Times his staff is now forced to make wrenching decisions about which clients to help that remind him of choices made in "a MASH unit in a war zone."
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legal aid society
recession
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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