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9 Seattle J. Soc. Just. 139 (2010-2011)
Economic and Other Benefits Associated with the Provision of Civil Legal Aid

handle is hein.journals/sjsj9 and id is 153 raw text is: 139 Economic and Other Benefits Associated with the Provision of Civil Legal Aid Laura K. Abel & Susan Vignola I. INTRODUCTION In October 2009, California enacted the Sargent Shriver Civil Counsel Act, setting up pilot programs to provide representation in civil cases concerning basic human needs. The Act's powerful introductory language includes the following statement: The fair resolution of conflicts through the legal system offers financial and economic benefits by reducing the need for many state services and allowing people to help themselves. There are significant social and governmental fiscal costs of depriving unrepresented parties of vital legal rights affecting basic human needs, particularly with respect to indigent parties, including the elderly and people with disabilities, and these costs may be avoided or reduced by providing the assistance of counsel where parties have a reasonable possibility of achieving a favorable outcome. This legislative finding is supported by a growing body of data documenting the financial and other societal benefits of the work of civil legal aid programs, which provide free or low-cost legal assistance to low- income individuals. This article gathers the results of the existing studies and also identifies ongoing or planned research projects that may provide additional information in the near future. Civil legal aid programs were established in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries by private charities.2 Many more were established in the late 1960s and early 1970s when the federal government began providing funding.3 For the past fifteen years, state legislatures and state-based Interest on Lawyer Trust Account programs have played an increasingly

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