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.
IOLTA Committee names new executive director
/in Blog, Program News - Archives, Program News - Current /by mlacThe Massachusetts IOLTA Committee is pleased to announce that Attorney Jenna Miara will be its new Executive Director starting November 1. Miara was previously the directing attorney of Impact Litigation and Policy at Bet Tzedek Legal Services in Los Angeles. She developed and supervised the firm’s impact litigation and policy work, managing both in-house and […]
More Veterans Die By Suicide Than In Combat. But It’s Preventable
/in Blog, Program News - Archives, Program News - Current /by mlacAnna Richardson and Sarah Roxburgh, co-executive directors of Veterans Legal Services, write in an op-ed in WBUR’s Cognoscenti that, “Veteran suicide is one of the greatest crises of our time.” “Research has also shown that veterans with legal problems are nearly twice as likely to have serious thoughts of suicide, and are 1 1/2 times more […]
VLS launches new partnership
/in Blog, Program News - Archives, Program News - Current /by mlacVeterans Legal Services and the VA Boston Healthcare System recently launched a new medical-legal partnership to provide free civil legal assistance to income-eligible veterans. VLS will run a monthly legal clinic on the campus of the Brockton VA, which provides both inpatient and outpatient services. The Brockton VA campus features medical care, mental health services, […]
CLA’s Re-Entry Project assists those with criminal records
/in Blog, Program News - Archives, Program News - Current /by mlacCommunity Legal Aid, Berkshire County’s free legal aid organization with offices in Pittsfield and North Adams, announces the creation of the Berkshire Legal Re-Entry Project to assist Berkshire residents who have been incarcerated, have prior justice system involvement or a substance use disorder, with housing and employment legal services…The project will be led by CLA […]
What’s it like to be black and disabled in America?
/in Blog, Program News - Archives, Program News - Current /by mlac…Miles’s story is emblematic of what it’s like to be Black and disabled in America: Every day is a struggle to not get left behind…Jevon Okundaye, a 24-year-old Black man with autism, worries that one day he’ll be stopped by a police officer and his lack of eye contact will be perceived as a threat. […]
After 17 months, eviction lawyer program launching in Bristol County
/in Blog, Program News - Archives, Program News - Current /by mlacSoutheast Housing Court is set to launch a program today that provides free legal services to tenants and landlords engaged in the eviction process. After 17 months and more than 600 eviction executions since the pandemic began, it is the last housing court division in the state to adopt the Lawyer for the Day program…“If […]
Construction Project Highlights Accessibility Issues for People With Disabilities
/in Blog, Program News - Archives, Program News - Current /by mlac,,,”That whole neighborhood is effectively shut off to a person who uses a wheelchair,” said Tom Murphy, a senior attorney with the Disability Law Center. Murphy also met us at the location to give his assessment of the ADA-related issues. His organization recently reached an agreement with the City of Boston to install a curb ramp in […]
Court Ruling, Variant Altering Landscape on Evictions
/in Blog, Program News - Archives, Program News - Current /by mlacA growing chorus of activists and lawmakers want to see action at the state and local level to stave off a potential surge of housing removals, warning that tenants are more “exposed” in the wake of a new U.S. Supreme Court decision lifting a federal eviction moratorium…Andrea Park, a legal aid attorney with the Massachusetts […]