Davis Malm Attorneys Walk to the Hill for Civil Legal Aid

January 30, 2013 - Boston, MA
For more information contact: Joanne Thorud
(617) 589-3894; jthorud@davismalm.com

On January 30, Davis Malm shareholder and Chair of the Massachusetts Equal Justice Coalition Samuel B. (Sandy) Moskowitz led over one third of Davis Malm’s attorneys and over 650 attorneys in the 14th annual Walk to the Hill for Civil Legal Aid. At the Walk lawyers lobby state legislators to increase funding for programs that provide civil legal aid to low-income Massachusetts residents. This year, the lawyers were seeking $3.5 million in increased funding to offset the severe drop in revenue from Interest on Lawyers Trust Accounts (IOLTA), the largest non-state funding source for legal aid in Massachusetts, and to prevent further erosion of legal services for the poor.

In his address, Mr. Moskowitz stressed the need for increased funding to protect the critical role civil legal aid plays in ensuring access to justice. “Legal aid programs throughout the Commonwealth have faced severely reduced funding and have been forced to take drastic steps to cut back, including laying off on average a third of their staffs,” Mr. Moskowitz said. “Only additional state funding can protect our civil legal aid system and access to justice for our most vulnerable residents.”

Governor Deval Patrick and Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Roderick L. Ireland both attended and spoke at the event. The Governor, who asked that attorney’s urge their legislators to support legal aid, has recommended $15.5 million for the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation in his fiscal year 2014 budget proposal. This amount, which matches MLAC’s request, is a $3.5 increase from last year’s appropriation.

The Walk to the Hill was co-sponsored by the Equal Justice Coalition, Boston Bar Association, Massachusetts Bar Association, and many local and specialty bar associations. The Davis Malm contingent was led by Daniel T. Janis, and included Neal Bingham, George L. Chimento, Robert J. Diettrich, James E. Gallagher, Robert J. Galvin, Brian L. Gaudet, Evgenia I. Goryshina, Joshua S. Grossman, John T. Lynch, C. Michael Malm, Kenneth J. Mickiewicz, Samuel B. Moskowitz, Michael V. Serra, and Marjorie Suisman.

About Davis, Malm & D'Agostine, P.C.
Founded in 1979, Davis Malm is a premier mid-sized, full-service New England firm. The firm provides sophisticated, cost-effective legal representation to local, national, and international public and private businesses, institutions, and individuals in a wide spectrum of industries. The attorneys at the firm practice at the top level of the profession and deliver successful results to clients through direct partner involvement, responsive client service, and practical and creative problem solving.