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WASHINGTON--Massachusetts Congressman Joseph Kennedy III and ���˶��� (LSC) President James J. Sandman will join leaders from five Massachusetts legal aid and technology organizations on Dec. 14 in Boston to announce an LSC technology grant to the Volunteer Lawyers Project of the Boston Bar Association (VLP) and to convene a roundtable discussion on legal aid.

VLP’s $137,200 Technology Initiative Grant (TIG) will be used to enhance mobile access to information and guidance for volunteer lawyers handling pro bono cases. The roundtable discussion will focus on the need for legal aid in Massachusetts, how that need is being met, and funding challenges on both the state and national levels.

“Lack of access to legal representation leaves too many low-income families and individuals on unequal footing in our justice system,” said Kennedy, who recently founded the Access to Civil Legal Services Caucus.  “When so many of those families have nowhere else to turn, the Volunteer Lawyers Project offers a guiding hand and ensures our Commonwealth and country make good on the promise of equal protection under the law. This grant will help even more people across Massachusetts benefit from the tireless work of their pro bono lawyers, and I look forward to working with them in the future to expand access to legal aid even further.”

VLP is one of 30 recipients of 2015 Technology Initiative Grant funding totaling more than $4.2 million. Since its inception in 2000, LSC’s TIG program has awarded 644 grants for a total of more than $53 million.  

“LSC’s Technology Initiative Grants expand access to justice for millions of Americans who cannot afford a lawyer,” said Sandman. “The grants make legal information, court forms, video instruction, and practical tips available to people who otherwise would have to navigate the legal system alone, and also provide tailored resources for pro bono lawyers serving low-income people.” 

The news conference begins at 10:00 a.m. at the offices of VLP, 99 Chauncy Street, Suite 400 Boston, MA 02111. Contact: Joanna Allison, jallison@vlpnet.org, (617) 605-4775