ABA Delegate's Report, 0617 WYBJ, Vol. 40 No. 3. 16

• Author: Darin B. Scheer, Crowley Fleck PLLP Farson, Wyoming

ABA Delegate's Report

Vol. 40 No. 3 Pg. 16

Wyoming Bar Journal

June, 2017

ABA Day: Supporting Continued Funding for the Legal Services Corporation

Darin B. Scheer, Crowley Fleck PLLP Farson, Wyoming

Imagine if emergency rooms across the country could only help four out of every ten patients who walked through the door. The unfortunate remainder would be left to fend for themselves without the specialized knowledge, training, or experience possessed by the professionals inside. Although some of the patients might be able to address their conditions on their own, many outcomes would be less favorable than if assisted by a professional. Another undesirable consequence would be the effect on the other staff at the hospital, who would no doubt be swamped with calls and questions from the untreated masses—putting them in the role of trying to fill the void left by the unavailable doctors. The social consequences in terms of declines in public health and the resulting drain on other resources would be significant.

Surely no hospital in the nation would be allowed to operate in this condition, and for good reason. And yet, the same thing is happening in Wyoming's legal aid community, where six out of ten applicants for civil legal aid services are turned away due to lack of resources and personnel, leaving court dockets crowded with pro se litigants statewide. What's worse, the Legal Service Corporation (LSC), the federal entity that provides one-quarter of the funding for Wyoming's civil legal aid programs, is in danger of receiving even less federal funding to provide these important services to some of the neediest residents of our state.

LSC is a federally-funded organization that serves as the backbone for civil legal aid and pro bono systems across the country. It is a non-partisan entity^[1] that strives to provide equal justice under law—the guiding principle enshrined above the main entrance to the United States Supreme Court. The core constituency for these services include single mothers (70% of applicants nationwide are women), domestic abuse victims, veterans, aging Americans, rural populations and victims of natural disasters. LSC monies are used to address an array of civil issues, including landlord-tenant disputes, child custody and support claims, and federal benefit claims involving veterans, the aged, and those displaced by natural disasters. To qualify for legal aid...