The Alaska Bar Association offered free legal help to people throughout the state during its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day clinic.
Krista Scully, the Alaska Bar Association’s pro bono director, said access to affordable legal services is a longstanding problem.
“The need is so great that even if every attorney in the state handled one pro bono case, we would still have unmet need,” she said.
More than 80 people signed up for Monday’s event. Since the event began 13 years ago, the association has helped more than 4,000 low-to-moderate income Alaskans. Scully said clinics like this one serve a group of people who usually can’t get that kind of support.
“In the world of access to justice, there’s something that’s well known as the justice gap,” she said. “Legal aid organizations work very closely with folks who meet the federal poverty level, and then there’s the population of folks who can afford legal assistance, and then there’s this giant gap in between.”
Thirty-two attorneys volunteered to work with clients on civil issues including family law, employment law, estate planning and landlord and tenant law.
Janell Hafner, an attorney in Juneau, was one of those volunteers. She said it felt especially important to get involved this year, as the pandemic continues to take a financial toll.
“Individuals who had a tough time affording a lawyer three or four years ago now have perhaps less economic opportunities, or are on more insecure housing footing than before,” Hafner...
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