Legal Aid Providers Expected to Lay Off 350 Lawyers, Scale Back Services
Facing budget cuts and funding losses, legal aid programs throughout the country are expected to lay off 750 employees, including 350 attorneys this year.
According to a survey conducted by the Legal Services Corp., 87 percent of legal aid operations reported they face significant LSC and non-LSC funding cuts, many of them dipping into reserves to continue operations.
LSC reports that 16 percent of those responding to its survey said circumstances were so dire that they expected to close offices this year. Many others expect to cut back on client services and restrict the types of cases accepted.
The LSC conducted its survey for early information gathering for the 2014 budgeting process, the National Law Journal reports.
The publication notes that civil legal aid agencies are already reeling from budget cuts over the last two years, just as demand for services increases because of high unemployment.
Also see:
ABAJournal.com: “ABA President Opposes Congressional Committee Plan to ‘Eliminate’ Legal Services Corp. Budget”
