The American Lawyer's Susan Beck reports that big law firms are failing legal aid nonprofits representing people too poor to afford their own lawyers. Even the most generous firms are contributing little more than one-tenth of 1 percent of their gross revenue.
She profiles the need for legal services in Cleveland, noting that "a lack of adequate public funds and private donations means that, as in Cleveland, more than half of those who seek help are turned away." Overall, there's just one legal aid lawyer for every 8,893 low-income Americans who qualify for legal aid.
Meanwhile, profits are healthy at Am Law 200 once again. Revenue passed the $100 billion mark for the first time in 2014.
"In a country with one of the highest concentrations of lawyers in the world, poor people often are forced to navigate the potential loss of their home, their children or their benefits on their own," Beck reports.
Lawyer and Legal Journalist
