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Bar News - May 9, 2003

Public Interest Lawyers Step Up to Support Legal Services Campaign

NUMEROUS ATTORNEYS IN NH use their law degrees to serve the public, whether it’s defending the indigent, prosecuting for the state, teaching at law school or providing civil legal assistance for the poor. These public interest attorneys are beginning to follow the lead of the NH Bar’s private sector by supporting the NH Bar Foundation’s Campaign for Legal Services.

The Campaign for Legal Services is a three-year effort to raise funds for New Hampshire Legal Assistance, the Bar Association’s Pro Bono Program and the Legal Advice & Referral Center. The first year of the Campaign has been focused on contributions from law firms and individual private attorneys, and the private Bar has responded enthusiastically and generously. As the first year of the Campaign is winding down – a milestone that will be celebrated at the Bar Foundation’s Annual Dinner on May 22, 2003 (see related article) – efforts to move the campaign beyond the private bar and out to public sector and corporate attorneys are beginning now and will continue into Year Two of the Campaign.

Many lawyers who work for state or non-profit agencies face their own funding struggles and work for lower salaries than many of their private Bar colleagues. Despite the financial sacrifices they have made to pursue their careers in public service, the initial reaction from public sector lawyers to the call for support for civil legal aid in New Hampshire has been enthusiastic. An incredible example: A group of staff attorneys and paralegals at New Hampshire Legal Assistance, one of the very organizations the Campaign is seeking support for, has generated a pledge to the Campaign of approximately $10,000. The contribution is not coming from NHLA as an organization, but from individual staff members, ranging from $25 to over $500, according to NHLA Executive Director John E. Tobin, Jr. Such giving demonstrates that these are lawyers who are committed to the cause of equal justice – so much so that they work for salaries that lag significantly behind their public sector colleagues and they take second jobs on the weekends – yet they still give sacrificially to support the Campaign for Legal Services.

"To me this kind of support is very heartening. People are plowing their modest salaries back into the Campaign, which demonstrates not only their symbolic support, but also real support, of the Campaign," said Tobin.

"These attorneys don’t make a lot of money, they work on hard cases, put in a lot of time, and it’s amazing that they are putting their hard-earned money back into the legal services programs."

Tobin encourages all public sector attorneys to follow this lead and help out "to the extent that they can," but is quick to point out that our justice system works best if it is supported by all sectors of the legal community. "Equal justice is the responsibility of all attorneys – not just private sector, public sector or legal services lawyers. It is a legal community effort," he said.

Walter Maroney, of the law firm Gallagher, Callahan & Gartrell in Concord, serves on the Campaign Steering Committee and is coordinating solicitation of public sector lawyers. An alumnus of the At torney General’s Office, Maroney’s work in the public sector brought to his attention the vital need to support the state’s legal services organizations in their endeavor to provide legal representation to those who can’t afford it.

"I spent ten years in the Attorney General’s Office, many of them in the Consumer Bureau. I’ve seen first-hand the need for legal services among New Hampshire’s poor and indigent citizens, the remarkable job done by LARC, the Pro Bono Program and NHLA, and how thinly stretched those organizations are when trying to meet that need," said Maroney.

"I’m convinced that supporting programs that provide access to justice for all people, regardless of income, is an absolute duty of the Bar, and I’m happy to be working to promote this Campaign among a group of attorneys who have already demonstrated that commitment by their own career choices."

"Fighting for the ideal of equal justice for all is a cause that brought most of us into public interest work. The collective support of public sector attorneys for the Campaign for Legal Services is a logical extension of our efforts and honors our colleagues who work to ensure that access to justice is never dependent on someone’s ability to pay for it."

- Christopher M. Keating, Executive Director,
NH Public Defender’s Office

"Public sector attorneys have sacrificed higher-paying private sector jobs to dedicate their careers to public service. One of the most important ways to serve the public is to ensure equal access to justice. Through their support of the Campaign for Legal Services, public sector attorneys further demonstrate their dedication to our system of justice and its principle that all are entitled to representation."

- NH Attorney General Peter W. Heed

"Those of us who have devoted our lives to working in the public sector know the importance of making sure that all sides of legal and political debate are heard. Supporting the Campaign for Legal Services is a way to make sure that those who can’t afford legal representation will be heard."

- Professor Mitchell M. Simon,
Franklin Pierce Law Center

"Prosecutors are acutely aware – perhaps even more so than their private sector colleagues – of the need for quality legal representation for the indigent. That’s why I’m confident that prosecutors all over New Hampshire will support this campaign. Even allowing for the financial sacrifices many prosecutors have already made in opting for public sector positions, the Bar Foundation and the public can and should expect us to contribute to the Campaign for Legal Services at levels commensurate with our respective abilities."

—Joseph N. Laplante, Assistant U.S. Attorney,
United States Attorney’s Office

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