Dozens of salon owners and beauticians rallied outside California State Capitol demanding that Gov. Newsom relax closures allowing them to return to work (Photo: Jason Doiy/ALM) salon owers and beauticians rallied outside California State Capitol demanding that Governor Newsom relax closures allowing them to return to work (Photo: Jason Doiy/ALM)

The global health crisis of spurred by the novel coronavirus makes legal civil aid indispensable for those without the means or background, and increased funding for the Legal Services Corp. in the new fiscal year 2021 budget "evens this unfair playing field."

That was the message in a letter dated June 19 and addressed to all 535 members of Congress. It was signed by general counsel and legal leaders from the nation's largest corporations, including Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Twitter Inc., Google, Amazon.com Inc., Walt Disney Co., PepsiCo Inc., Comcast Corp., Ford Motor Co., Procter & Gamble Co. and AT&T Inc.

"As lawyers and business leaders, we know that the health of our communities and our economies is dependent on the fair administration of justice," states the letter. "It can be difficult, if not impossible, for people without training and knowledge in the law to properly navigate our legal systems. However, every day low-income Americans are forced to do just that, usually in cases where they are pitted against experienced legal counsel."

In all, 204 companies are listed as signatories asking Congress to increase funding for the LSC, so it can offer civil legal aid for people to protect their health, home, income, family—and "provide access to justice for all."

"Strong support for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) will enhance the ability of civil legal aid organizations to respond to the widespread economic, social, and health-based hardship this pandemic is likely to cause," the letter states.

"Equal access to justice is a foundational promise of our country and a bulwark against severe hardship for low-income Americans, particularly in times of national crisis," said the signatories.

The leaders praised LSC's experience leading in times of regional and national crisis by bringing together expert networks and coordinating local responses.

They noted that recipients of LSC's aid include families facing myriad issues, from home foreclosure and domestic abuse to coping after a natural disaster.

"It is the single largest source of funding for free legal help, and its grantees serve clients in every ZIP code," said the letter.

"We all have a responsibility to help mitigate the worst effects of this current crisis. The ability of our companies to do this through pro bono service is dependent on the LSC infrastructure, which allows us to partner with local legal services organizations that can reach clients in need and provide training and supervision to our volunteers in order to deliver effective volunteer representation."

More funding is critical, said the signatories, to carry out LSC's mission.

"At this critical moment, where the legal needs of low-income Americans are set to multiply, we ask that you further expand access to justice and help our communities respond to the consequences of this pandemic by providing a significant increase for LSC in FY2021."