17Apr 2023 by Charles E. Price
Alaska Senate bill proposes more legal aid for domestic violence victims, others seeking help

Alaska Senate bill proposes more legal aid for domestic violence victims, others seeking help

LEGAL
The front of the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau is seen on Wednesday, April 12, 2023. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon) An overloaded nonprofit that provides free legal help would be able to serve more Alaskans in need if legislation proposed by Sen. Forrest Dunbar, D-Anchorage, becomes law. Senate Bill 104, discussed by the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday, would direct 25% of the Alaska Court System's filing fees to the Alaska Legal Services Corporation, up from 10% in an existing state law. Dunbar, a licensed attorney, formerly worked for the agency on a variety of cases. “They provide absolutely crucial legal services, free legal services, to those who can't afford them. Things like family law, landlord-tenant (disputes); they are also the state's largest provider of free legal services to…
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30Mar 2023 by Charles E. Price
Larger state investment in civil legal aid is needed

Larger state investment in civil legal aid is needed

LEGAL
The BDN Editorial Board operates independently from the newsroom, and does not set policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com. Maine's chronic shortage of attorneys for low-income criminal defendants has rightly gotten a lot of attention. The US and state constitutions guarantee those accused of crimes a right to a speedy trial, a pledge that Maine is in danger of not fulfilling as the state's program struggles to recruit and retain lawyers. Maine also faces a critical shortage of lawyers to represent low-income Mainers in civil cases, such as those involving evictions, protection from abuse and discrimination. In Maine, there are more than 360,000 low-income people who are eligible for free legal services, and most of them will face at least one…
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