Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman got support for his plan to boost spending on civil legal services for the poor in a report released last week. It backs the appropriation that the chief judge asked the Legislature and Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to consider when he submitted a $2.3 billion Judiciary spending plan for the 2012-13 fiscal year (NYLJ, Dec. 2).
The Task Force to Expand Access to Civil Legal Services in New York, which was created by Judge Lippman, held four public hearings around the state to document the need for additional funds to pay counsel to represent the poor in foreclosures, debt cases and other legal proceedings.
