For the eighth year running, legal department leaders have once again rallied to support the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), the largest funder of civil legal aid in the United States.
Pro Bono Institute (PBI) and its global in-house project, Corporate Pro Bono (CPBO), along with the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA), put out a call to action to General Counsel and Chief Legal Officers, inviting them to sign a letter of support for increasing LSC’s Fiscal Year 2025 funding.
The GCs and CLOs from 147 corporations signed the letter, calling on Congress to strengthen its investment in equal justice by increasing funding for LSC in the FY2025 appropriations. The letter was delivered to Congress on May 14, 2024. Companies that are diverse in size, sector, and geography supported this initiative.
In the letter, the GCs and CLOs noted that access to civil legal aid creates stability that is critical to the strength of the American workforce and the success of the American economy. Therefore, supporting access to justice is a business imperative.
A 2022 LSC report found that low-income Americans do not receive any or enough legal help for 92% of their civil legal problems, and roughly half of the requests for assistance received by LSC grantees are turned away, due to a lack of resources. More than one in six people across the country live below the poverty level, and are income-eligible for free legal services. Despite the tremendous need for these legal services, LSC is underfunded and often targeted for budget cuts despite strong bipartisan support.
Following similar advocacy efforts last year, Congress and the President ultimately approved a new spending package that increased LSC funding for FY2024.
For FY2025, LSC has requested $1.797 billion in funding, which is $216 million more than the FY2024 budget request. LSC determined this is the minimum funding required in light of the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the recent increase in child poverty, record high debt collection and consumer finance complaints, and the rising eviction rate.
PBI and its CPBO project are proud to support this effort to secure funding for LSC. We thank the GCs and CLOs for demonstrating their commitment to legal aid, access to justice, and pro bono legal services. For more information, please contact CPBO at cpbo@probonoinst.org.