Equal Access to Justice
Twenty years. Together. For Fairness.
It was 2004, when Maine’s legal community established an annual fundraising campaign administered by the Maine Justice Foundation (then Maine Bar Foundation) to support six core legal aid providers in the state.
As the organizations have matured and evolved, so have their names: Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, Legal Services for Maine Elders, Maine Equal Justice, Maine Law Clinical Programs, Maine Volunteer Lawyer Project, and Pine Tree Legal Assistance. Over the past 20 years, the Bench and the Bar have come together annually to help these service providers assure fairness for all in the justice system, no matter their income level.
In the last year alone, these six providers handled 15,373 cases. This kind of life-changing civil legal aid helped tens of thousands of Maine people living with low incomes who needed help to resolve legal issues that affect their livelihoods, their family life, and their health.
For this 20th year, co-chairs Bill Black and Jamie Kilbreth have assembled a stellar cabinet who are leading efforts to raise $675,000 for civil legal aid. They are off to a terrific start with 35% raised to date, thanks to the generosity of early donors.
We are so grateful to the Maine Justice Foundation for shepherding the Campaign for Justice for nearly two decades. Today, the providers are administering the Campaign together, with Pine Tree Legal Assistance registered to receive donations designated for the Campaign for Justice at P.O. Box 547, Portland, ME 04112.