Mid-Missouri Legal Services gives a voice to those who need an advocate in legal matters.
“Courts exist to do justice, to guarantee liberty, to enhance social order, to resolve disputes, to maintain rule of law, to provide for equal protection, and to ensure due process of law.” That description comes from the National Center for State Courts.
But what happens when people cannot access and navigate the court system because the cost of doing so is unaffordable? Attorneys, filing fees, service fees, and other costs add up, and that expense can impact someone’s ability to have their day in court. Providing full access to civil courts regardless of ability to pay is at the heart of the mission of Mid-Missouri Legal Services (MMLS).
A Civil Action
MMLS assists clients in eight broad categories of civil law, including consumer law, domestic violence and family law, expungement of criminal records, elder law, employment law, and legal matters related to healthcare, public benefits, and housing.
Kirsten Dunham, an attorney and executive director of MMLS, clarifies that the organization doesn’t assist with criminal matters. Those are handled by the public defender’s office in Boone County and in the other 10 mid-Missouri counties MMLS serves. Nonetheless, the organization’s representation of clients in civil matters impacts the entire community.
“At legal aid, we help provide safety and stability,” Dunham says. “In family law, in particular, we help individuals separate safely from their abuser and help individuals get their kids away from an abuser. It’s a very fundamental need to have safety and protect your children. That’s powerful work our attorneys do every day.”
“We also provide stability in terms of housing stability by preventing evictions and financial stability by helping people with accessing public benefits they’re entitled to and reducing debts as a result of predatory lending and unfair and deceptive practices by lenders,” she says. “These help our clients have more income to meet their family’s needs.”
The need in Columbia and throughout mid-Missouri is vast. Moreover, legislative policies and events like the pandemic increase demand in certain areas. Changes in eligibility for public benefits, pandemic-related unemployment benefits, and new laws related to the expungement of certain criminal records bring more people to the door seeking help.
Unfortunately, some who come knocking must be turned away. In 2022, MMLS handled 884 cases. Some were advisory cases, but 30 percent of the cases involved extended representation in settlement negotiations, court trials, or administrative hearings which all take a substantial amount of time to prepare for and execute.
Attorneys Wanted
MMLS has full-time attorneys on staff and can’t find the lawyers it needs to fill open positions. Even private law firms are feeling the talent crunch. Law school enrollments are down and the number of those retiring or otherwise leaving the profession is up.
In addition to staff attorneys, MMLS relies heavily on private attorneys willing to tackle cases pro bono and those who can receive a modest fee through its Judicare program.
“Our private attorneys are very important to our ability to extend our resources,” Dunham says. “When you look at the unmet legal need and the number of people going without legal assistance for their issues, there’s no way we have the resources to meet those needs without the help of private attorneys.”
Most attorneys who agree to do work for MMLS without payment are involved in one of the organization’s clinics, such as the uncontested divorce clinic. Attorneys don’t make court appearances for clients, but they counsel clients and provide them with all the resources and information they need to confidently represent themselves in the process.
The “Champions of MMLS” fund the work of the organization. Legal Services Corporation, the state of Missouri, Missouri Lawyer Trust Account Foundation, Missouri Bar and Missouri Bar Foundation, Heart of Missouri United Way, United Way of Callaway County, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Boone County Bar Association, and private donors provide funding via grants and donations.
Still, lawyers are the backbone of the organization’s ability to serve its clients. Whether they’re on staff or volunteer for MMLS, their reward isn’t monetary.
“I think that all attorneys are using their law degree to help their clients. That’s what we’re there for, to be an advocate for our clients,” says Dunham. “But attorneys who come to Mid-Missouri Legal Services are interested in helping people who don’t have anywhere else to turn: People who have lost faith in the justice system because they haven’t been able to access any kind of legal services; people who have maybe never been listened to and their legal aid attorney is the first person who has ever really listened to them and taken their concerns and issues seriously. I think it’s that reward that attorneys who work with us feel because they’re making a difference by helping people.”
Removing the Price Tag on Safety and Stability
Durham continues, “Certainly, at legal aid, we’re there to be advocates for clients and to help get the best outcomes for them. Our work does have a community impact.”
It’s likely that the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who tackled some pro bono cases for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) more than a decade before she was named to the U.S. Supreme Court, would agree. She said: “If you want to be a true professional, you will do something outside yourself. Something to repair tears in your community. Something to make life a little better for people less fortunate than you.”
Mid-Missouri Legal Services
117 N. Garth Avenue
573-442-0116
mmls.org
