With Client Need High, Attorneys Maintain Services But Take Drastic Salary Cuts as Connecticut's Civil Legal Aid Programs Face "Extraordinary Financial Challenges"
Legal Services E-lert

Date of E-Lert – 12/12/08

Bibliographic Info:
Author: Christian Nolan and Douglas S. Malan
Source: Connecticut Law Tribune
Date: December 8, 2008

The Connecticut Law Tribune reports:   "Legal aid lawyers make financial sacrifices simply by choosing to work for agencies that help poverty-stricken clients.  But faced with a recession-driven fiscal crisis, they are really biting the bullet.  Greater Hartford Legal Aid is cutting salaries 5 percent for all of its employees.  If that sounds like a lot, New Haven Legal Assistance attorneys have agreed to cut their salaries by 20 percent for at least the next six months, and there are talks between the agency and the union representing its employees about extending that period.  On an annual basis, a 20 percent cut would represent about $14,000 per attorney.  'Well, nobody that works for this agency is doing it for the money,' said Jane Grossman, an NHLA attorney for eight years.  'The thing that drew us all to this work is the clients themselves.  While the pay cut is drastic, it's necessary.'  The New Haven attorneys rejected the idea of working fewer hours in return for lower pay . . . .  'All the lawyers in this office are putting the needs of the clients first,' said Grossman.  'We have more clients below the poverty level than ever before.'  The 'big three' legal aid services in the state -- Connecticut Legal Services, GHLA and NHLA all face extraordinary financial challenges.  Funding from their primary source totaled $20 million for 2007.  It's projected at $4 million for 2009 . . . .  However, some help may be on the way.  Some of the state's larger firms are discussing the possibility of lending associates to legal service agencies should workloads drop because of the poor economy, according to several sources.  At this point, firm management teams are discussing how associates can be farmed out and for how many hours, and ironing out many other details."

Tags: Funding, Issues in Legal Services Delivery, Legal Services Structure