Miss. Supreme Court Proposal Would Require Lawyers to Donate 20 Hrs Representing Poor in Civil Cases
Legal Services E-lert
Bibliographic Info:
Author: Jimmie Gates
Source: The Clarion Ledger, “Free legal services pushed in Mississippi”
Date: December 6, 2010
The Clarion Ledger reports: “A state Supreme Court committee is still reviewing a proposal to require lawyers to provide a certain number of hours in free service to the poor each year.
But state Supreme Court spokeswoman Beverly Kraft said Thursday that no decision is imminent from the Rules Committee. Meanwhile, the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project, which recruits lawyers to provide free legal help to the poor in civil cases, has kicked off a campaign to raise $50,000 to meet the growing demand for assistance. Former Supreme Court Justice Reuben Anderson and Capital Bar Association President Roy Campbell are spearheading the effort.
‘One in five Mississippians lives in poverty,’ said Shirley Williams, executive director of the Volunteer Lawyers Project. . . . The state Supreme Court proposal would require lawyers to provide at least 20 hours of free service a year to the poor in civil cases or in lieu pay a $500-a-year fee. . . . A majority of lawyers who submitted a written opinion to the Rules Committee are opposed to the proposal.”