Opinion: Support Legal Aid Services

"The LSC is a non-profit corporation that was formed by an act of Congress in 1974. Its mission was and remains to ensure equal access to justice under the law for all Americans. In advocating for the creation of the LSC, President Nixon wrote:

“America’s system of law now requires equal treatment for all in our courts of criminal justice. It is no less important that equal access be afforded those who seek redress through our civil laws. We propose no special favors for any group in our society, nor do we seek to mandate the use of the legal system to the exclusion of other social institutions as instruments of social progress. We propose, simply, to protect and preserve a basic right of all Americans.”

The LSC and its various state-level entities and partners, such as Legal Services Law Line of Vermont and Vermont Legal Aid, fulfill this promise by putting lawyers in courthouses across the state to represent individuals who could not otherwise afford it. The LSC model is based on a simple idea: If everyone has legal representation, then everyone benefits."

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