Mauricio Vivero is executive editor of EJM.

Not too long ago, the national legal services community was focused on only one thing: survival. Today, the partisan battles and divisive debates over the Legal Services Corporation’s mission and direction seem like ancient history. 

Strengthened by a newfound clarity of purpose and vision—to help the poor with their basic day-to-day legal problems—LSC enjoys the solid backing of the Bush Administration and strong bipartisan support in Congress. The most recent example of LSC’s enhanced standing came last month when the U.S. House of Representatives approved a $2 million increase in our budget for FY2004 without any opposition.

The House figure of $338.8 million marks the highest level approved by the lower chamber in almost a decade—a signal to all of us who care about equal justice that LSC’s primary concern is no longer the need to merely survive. Indeed, we have begun to thrive and move closer to fulfilling our mission to serve all those in need.

Earlier this summer, I spent several days on Capitol Hill with LSC President John Erlenborn and our new Chairman Frank Strickland, meeting with key Members of the House and Senate. Our time with the legislators was no longer consumed with explaining a small number of controversial cases handled by LSC’s grantees. Rather, we are able to engage in constructive and positive discussions about the work of our programs and the serious, unmet legal needs of America’s poor. Indeed, the reception we enjoyed was universally positive—the memories of so many contentious Hill meetings of the 1990s buried under the weight of our recent progress. Let no one tell you differently: legal services today is a bipartisan issue in Washington, D.C. 

Now, our challenge is to continue to manage LSC according to the mandates set by Congress while working to address the still-urgent needs of our eligible client population. This will require a careful balance between effective oversight of grantees and innovation in the field. To help us meet this challenge, we have a new Board of Directors appointed by President Bush (two Clinton appointees continue to serve until replaced) charged with overseeing this vital responsibility.

At an April 26 meeting in Santa Fe, N.M., Bush appointees (L to R) Tom Fuentes, Herb Garten, Tom Meites, Frank Strickland, Florentino Subia, and Rob Dieter are sworn into office as members of the LSC Board of Directors. photo credit: Jerry Goffe.

The new Board members reflect the bipartisan spirit that has come to define LSC’s work. They include four practicing attorneys (including a former U.S. Attorney), three law professors, a corporate executive, and a Western Union messenger who knows how to handle a Harley (see profiles, p. 15-20). Together, they plan to chart a course that will build on our recent successes. 

Here is what we know: LSC programs across the nation consistently report family law, housing, and income maintenance cases as their most urgent priorities. This means that domestic violence victims, children, senior citizens, migrant farm workers, Native Americans, and disabled veterans are the groups still most likely to need legal assistance. Yet the demand for even these core services far outweighs the financial resources currently allocated by Congress. 

Given this huge service gap, we’ve been working hard in Washington for the past several years to leverage scarce federal resources. For example, we’ve invested millions in technology grants to reach more clients, a success made possible only because LSC leaders had the political capital to sell Congressional appropriators on a new way to achieve broader access to justice. By working with, and not against, the party that controls Congress and the White House, we can continue to increase resources and create new initiatives to serve and help our clients.