On February 22, Davis Malm shareholder Sandy Moskowitz led a large contingent of Davis Malm attorneys and an estimated 500 other Massachusetts private attorneys in the annual Walk to the Hill in support of legal aid. Sandy serves as Chair of the Massachusetts Equal Justice Coalition, which runs the Walk to the Hill event. The goal of this year’s Walk was an appeal to state legislators to maintain the current funding level for programs that provide civil legal aid to low-income Massachusetts residents. As private attorneys, Walk to the Hill participants have no direct stake in civil legal aid funding. However, according to Sandy, they see firsthand the effects of the civil legal aid shortage and understand the disadvantages faced by pro se litigants who appear in court unrepresented. In his address to the Walk to Hill participants, Sandy stressed the need for level funding of the civil legal aid line item. “In today’s stressed economic environment, the demand for civil legal aid is greater than ever,” he said. “At the same time, those same economic conditions have led to a substantial reduction in the non-state funding sources for these programs. In order to avoid even greater, devastating program cuts, it is essential that the state maintain its funding level for these programs.”

The Walk to the Hill for Civil Legal Aid was co-sponsored by the Equal Justice Coalition, Boston Bar Association, Massachusetts Bar Association, and 30 local and specialty bar associations. Sandy led the team of Davis Malm attorneys that included Tom Fitzpatrick, Robert Galvin, Howard Speicher, Thomas Frisardi, John Lynch, Stephen Pike, Andrew Myers, Avi Lev, Kendra Kinscherf, and Dan Janis.

For more information contact: Joanne Thorud; (617) 589-3894; jthorud@davismalm.com

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