Today the Pennsylvania Senate Judiciary Committee hosted a hearing in Philadelphia on the plight of low-income Pennsylvanians without access to legal representation. A number of political leaders, judges, attorneys, and individuals (both clients and those who were unable to secure attorneys) testified about the need to increase access to attorneys for low-income people — especially when their cases involve critical rights like housing, benefits, protection from abuse, and custody matters. The effort to extend guaranteed legal representation in these sorts of cases is often called Civil Gideon (after the case that established the right to counsel in criminal matters).
- Learn more about the Civil Gideon effort in Pennsylvania.
- Read the written testimony (pdf)