As our FY27 campaign comes to a close, we also want to recognize the many people who contributed to it. We are grateful for the lawyers and law students who attended our Walk to the Hill for Civil Legal Aid lobby day in January; the private bar associations that supported our campaign throughout the year; the law firm managing partners, corporate general counsels, and law school deans that signed letters of support; and the supporters who participated in our Action Alerts during critical moments in the budget process. On behalf of the EJC, thank you. This work is truly a team effort, and I look forward to collaborating with you again on the FY28 campaign starting in the fall.

Warmly,

Louis Tompros
Chair, Equal Justice Coalition
Partner, WilmerHale

We appreciate your support throughout the entire budget process. For more information about the FY27 budget cycle, you can view the EJC website here.  

What can you do right now?

While this year’s budget campaign is over, the campaign for equal justice is ongoing. Our campaign relies on the rapport we maintain with the Legislature year after year. It is gratifying to know how many legislators know about MLAC and the life-changing work we do. That’s thanks to the valiant work of civil legal aid attorneys and you! 

Send your state senator and state representative each a quick email, or give their offices a call, to express your gratitude for their support of civil legal aid funding in the FY27 budget process.

Don’t know who your legislators are? Find them on the MA Legislature website here. 

I first understood what access to justice means as a law student assisting clients through our law school’s legal aid bureau. In most civil cases, people experiencing domestic violence or the loss of health care or government benefits have no right to a lawyer. Eligibility for a lawyer in civil cases only reaches households at or below 125% of the federal poverty level—$41,250 per year for a family of four—and too many who qualify are still turned away because not enough lawyers are available. That is why, many years after graduating from law school, I walk to the Hill every January. All the attorneys on that walk believe that our fellow community members should have access to a lawyer so that they can obtain needed protection and rightful benefits for themselves and their family members.

For Nixon Peabody, the Walk to the Hill is where our pro bono commitment becomes public advocacy. Standing in the State House alongside roughly 600 colleagues from across the Commonwealth, through snow and storms this past January, reminds us that we are one legal community with a shared obligation. It also builds community and law firm camaraderie when colleagues advocate side by side. I especially encourage our more junior colleagues to participate and take leadership roles. Carrying your voice directly to your legislators is a great way to build your skills as an advocate.

In FY25, MLAC-funded organizations handled more than 46,000 cases, reaching residents in 94% of the Commonwealth’s cities and towns, and returned an estimated $113.5 million in economic benefits to Massachusetts. And for lawyers in the Commonwealth, there is no return greater than seeing families receive the support they need to thrive.