The need for legal representation for low-income New Yorkers cannot be overstated. The Office of Court Administration estimates that the state courts deal with 2.3 million unrepresented litigants a year. The Task Force to Expand Access to Civil Legal Services, created by Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, reported in November 2010 that nearly 3 million low-income people in the state experienced a civil legal problem last year, and 1.2 million experienced three or more civil legal problems. Dedicated service providers, facing ever-diminishing resources, can handle only about 20 percent of the need, the task force said, adding that armed with appropriate preventative legal advice, many New Yorkers would be able to solve their problems without resorting to court.
And then there are criminal cases.
