Legal Assistance for the Poor

Your editorial “A Brief for the Poor” (Sept. 23) was right on the mark! There is a good reason why the recent Louis Harris poll showed that 70% of all Americans want federal dollars to be used to provide civil legal assistance to the poor. Millions of our people need civil legal help, but can’t afford to hire their own lawyer.

The Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles was established to ensure access to the civil justice system for everyone in our community. Since 1929, LAFLA’s staff of poverty law experts--with the help of our network of supporters and volun- teers--has been providing one-on-one legal counseling and advocacy to thousands of low-income clients each year through our five neighborhood law offices. We also help educate individuals and groups about their legal rights and how to protect them, work in partnerships with other public and private agencies in Los Angeles to maximize the impact of our limited resources and counsel community-based organizations trying to bring positive improvement to low- income residents.

The number of low-income people needing our legal help continues to increase, yet LAFLA’s budget and staff have suffered a 35% reduction since 1995 because of cuts in federal funds. It should not be too much to ask of our $7-trillion-plus national economy to set aside a mere $300 million to support legal aid for the poorest of our people.

RICHARD J. STONE, President

Legal Aid Foundation of L.A.