Case Explained: Civil legal aid organizations in Maine say they need $3 million to prevent reduction in services – Legal Perspective

As Governor Janet Mills signed a bill Thursday that provides millions in emergency funding to support legal services for indigent Mainers facing criminal charges, organizations that provide help in civil cases say they need additional funding.

The state’s network of seven civil legal aid providers say they need $3 million for the next fiscal year to provide free help to Mainers facing matters such as eviction, financial exploitation, and domestic violence.

The executive director of Pine Tree Legal, Tom Fritzsche, said the state currently allocates $1.3 million a year to the state’s network of seven civil legal aid providers. He says an additional $3 million is needed for the next fiscal year to prevent a reduction in services for people who need free legal help.

“For example, folks going to court who need protection from abuse or who need to sort out a housing and landlord tenant dispute, or who have been the victim of a consumer scam,” Fritzsche said.

During a press conference at the state house Thursday, Maine Supreme Judicial Court Justice Andrew Meade said judges regularly witness people in civil court who can’t afford an attorney.

“And we are stuck with watching the tragedy that unfolds when these people try to do their best,” Meade said. “They come to court frightened, intimidated, sometimes hostile, often making bad mistakes. The civil legal services providers step in to provide a vital connection between those circumstances and access to justice.”

Legal aid providers said without the additional funding, 5,000 fewer people will be served in the next fiscal year.