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185 Corporate Counsel Urge Congress to Fund LSC

The National Law Journal
by Marcia Coyle
March 28, 2017

President Donald Trump routinely has sought corporate America’s voice on a range of issues, but will he and members of Congress listen to the 185 in-house counsel who are opposed to his zero budget for the Legal Services Corp.?

Leaders of corporate legal departments—representing technology, pharmaceutical, media, entertainment, retail and manufacturing, among other industries—urged Congress in a letter on Tuesday to preserve the LSC at a funding level of $450 million, essentially the same amount it received in fiscal year 2010 adjusted for inflation. The LSC’s fiscal 2017 budget request was $502 million.

Top in-house lawyers said the “minimal investment in LSC generates a significant positive return for business and the health of individuals and communities across the nation.” And they said the agency creates a “level playing field” for many lower- and moderate-income families who cannot afford a lawyer.

The LSC’s national framework, they said, provides the basic structure for civil legal services and “supports the countless hours of pro bono representation provided by corporate legal departments and in-house attorneys.”

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