The Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation is the largest funding source for civil legal aid organizations in Massachusetts.
The Commonwealth established MLAC in 1983 to ensure that low-income people facing critical non-criminal legal issues would have access to legal information, advice, and representation. Our mission is to improve legal aid in Massachusetts through collaboration with the legal services community, the public, the bar, and the legislature.
What We Do
The Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation provides funding and support to civil legal aid organizations across the Commonwealth.
Funding. MLAC is the largest funder of civil legal aid for low-income individuals in the Commonwealth. MLAC receives funding from several sources: the annual state appropriation, Interest On Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA) funds, philanthropic foundations, and other public and private sources. MLAC grants the money to nonprofit organizations that provide legal assistance at no cost to low-income residents of Massachusetts. For more information on the organizations MLAC funds and how to apply for funding, please visit our funding pages.
MLAC provides several kinds of grants. General Support includes unrestricted funds to legal aid organizations, as well as funding for:
- Disability Benefits Project
- Domestic Violence Legal Assistance Project
- Medicare Advocacy Project
Other Funds, include grants for these projects:
- Civil Legal Aid to Victims of Crime
- Greater Boston Immigrant Defense Fund
- Massachusetts Immigration Legal Assistance Fund
Support. MLAC strengthens legal aid in Massachusetts in several ways:
- The Central Technology Project provides technology services and support to MLAC-funded organizations to help them deliver legal aid effectively and efficiently.
- Data and Policy Analysis measures and analyzes the scope and impact of legal aid across a wide variety of factors, including: number of clients and cases, types of cases, and demographics.
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion works to create a diverse, representative and collaborative environment within legal services to provide accessible, welcoming, and culturally competent services to clients of all backgrounds and their communities.
- The Equal Justice Coalition advocates for state funding for civil legal aid. It is a partnership of MLAC, the Boston Bar Association, and the Massachusetts Bar Association.
- Fellowships fund the work of legal aid attorneys who seek to expand the delivery of legal services in communities traditionally underserved by legal aid. MLAC funds two fellowships: The Bart Gordon Fellowship and The Racial Justice Fellowship.
Available Positions
Supervising Attorney View Job Description on JobQuest
Staff Attorney View Job Description on JobQuest
Intake Worker View Job Description on JobQuest
Paralegal View Job Description on JobQuest