Law for The Poor

"You know, expensive hotels, expensive desserts, expensive travel. Limousine travel by
board members to get to meetings by an anti-poverty group is not anybody's idea of
good public relations," he adds.
The program in Maryland has had its share of scandal, too. Spokesman Joe Surkiewicz
talks about an episode here two years ago: "Our chief financial officer, who's now
serving time in prison, stole several million dollars from Legal Aid in a scheme with an
outside vender for office supplies," Surkiewicz says. "We've put it behind us; we've
completely revamped our financial program and our financial unit."
But the Maryland Legal Aid bureau, which is financially healthier than most, is facing
down some new pressures. A state law that funnels a few dollars in fees to legal aid
groups every time someone files a civil lawsuit will expire next year.
"That is the source of my very short nights every night, including last night," executive
director Wilhelm Joseph says. "I am thinking about 2013 every day."
So much is unsettled, Joseph says. "What will it take to make sure that the powers that
be who exercise their discretion understand the need to continue doing the right thing?"
That's a question legal aid leaders all over the country are asking.
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