About MLAC
The Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC) was established by the Commonwealth in 1983 to ensure that low-income people with critical non-criminal legal problems would have access to legal information, advice and representation.
MLAC is the largest funding source for civil legal aid programs in Massachusetts.
Northeast Legal Aid Finds New Ways to Serve Low-Income Clients
/in Blog, Program News - Archives, Program News - Current /by mlacBy John Carroll In the early days of President Johnson’s War on Poverty in the 1960s, lawyers in the Office of Economic Opportunity, which oversaw much of the initiative, funded programs that filed lawsuits seeking to address systemic economic problems. For example, a 1970 class action lawsuit (Goldberg v. Kelly) made the practice of terminating […]
Ministering To Puerto Rico’s Pain: Civil Legal Aid Lawyers Assisting Those Seeking Mass. Refuge
/in Blog, News Coverage - Archives, News Coverage - Current /by mlacThis post first appeared on WGBH News. By Jacquelynne Bowman and Lonnie Powers Five months after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, the situation on the island remains dire, and states throughout the nation have welcomed Puerto Rican refugees—who are U.S. citizens—to the mainland. Here in Massachusetts, several thousand Puerto Ricans have sought refuge with friends and relatives, mostly in Springfield, New Bedford, Worcester, and Boston. Massachusetts public schools have already enrolled approximately 2,000 […]
Tech sector and legal community create digital resources to meet civil legal needs
/in Blog /by mlacThis post was first published by South End News. By Lonnie Powers We rely on mobile apps and computer software to manage our health, pay bills, find the college of our dreams and do our taxes. We surf the web for how-to articles and YouTube videos for tips and tutorials on everything from oil changes to helping a […]
MetroWest Legal Services: Fighting for Equal Justice for Over 40 Years
/in Blog, Program News - Archives, Program News - Current /by mlacBy John Carroll The service area of MetroWest Legal Services (MWLS) encompasses the soon-to-be-city of Framingham (town residents voted to transition to city status as of Jan. 1, 2018) and 44 surrounding towns west of Boston. Despite a staff of just 22—including 15 full-time attorneys, the organization assists over 2,500 low-income people a year in […]
How civil legal aid assists older adults
/in Blog /by mlacThis post was first published on Huffington Post. By Lonnie Powers The president of the United States is a 71-year-old reality TV star. One of his fiercest critics is the acid-tongued Rep. Maxine Waters, age 79. At age 81, public radio host Diane Rehm married a 78-year-old. At a relatively youthful 68, rock god Bruce Springsteen’s […]
Prisoners’ Legal Services: Working to Depoliticize Incarceration
/in Blog, Program News - Archives, Program News - Current /by mlacBy John Carroll On May 16, 2017, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that the Americans with Disabilities Act applies to mentally and physically disabled prisoners seeking parole, requiring the state to assist them in developing release plans that address their disabilities with an eye toward reducing the chances that the paroled individual will re-offend […]
Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts: Securing Equal Justice for Low-Income Children and Youth
/in Blog, Program News - Archives /by mlacBy John Carroll Forty years ago, the Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts (CLCM) opened its doors in Lynn with a mission to promote and secure equal justice and maximize opportunity for low-income children and youth throughout the Commonwealth. Since then the organization has had remarkable success in protecting this vulnerable demographic group through local advocacy […]
Community Legal Aid: Fighting Poverty and Working for Justice for Over 50 Years
/in Blog, Program News - Archives, Program News - Current /by mlacBy John Carroll When she sought help from Community Legal Aid (CLA), Brittany was a single, working mother from Central Massachusetts who put her children to bed each night on the floors of the homes of her family and friends. With no stable living arrangements and very little money, she had lost her sense of […]