Connecticut looks to help low-income residents in civil cases

"State officials are looking at ways to help the large percentage of the state’s population who lack the means to hire lawyers in civil court cases involving such issues as child custody, domestic violence and evictions.

Criminal defendants are guaranteed legal help, often through the public defenders office, but no such guarantee is given in civil cases, and the state estimates that more than 90 percent of poorer residents cannot afford to hire lawyers on their own.
“It shouldn’t be an economic factor as to who gets justice and who doesn’t, but economics often determine what options someone has to get access to the justice system,” said Deborah R. Witkin, executive director of Connecticut Legal Services, a nonprofit organization that provides legal assistance to the poor..."

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