His Excellency Charles D. Baker, Jr. January 13, 2017

Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

State House, Room 280

Boston, Massachusetts 02133

Re: Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC, line item 0321-1600)

FY18 Request: $23 million

Dear Governor Baker,

As the general counsel of many of the Commonwealth’s leading institutions and companies, we

thank you for approving $18 million in funding for civil legal aid in the FY17 state budget. We

appreciate your support and your efforts to improve the Massachusetts economy and the lives of

its residents. We urge you to continue defending the most vulnerable by recommending a $23

million appropriation for the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC) through line

item 0321-1600 of the FY18 budget.

Civil legal aid benefits Massachusetts in a variety of ways. By providing representation and legal

advice in non-criminal matters—whether it be helping elders access health care, protecting

families from displacement, or assisting domestic violence survivors get the protections they

need—civil legal aid programs across the state helped more than 88,000 low-income residents in

FY16. The appropriation also helps low-income people receive the federal funds for which they

are qualified.

Investment in legal aid is more than offset by the fact that these federal funds—and positive

client outcomes in general—alleviate the burden on state agencies, medical institutions, and the

courts. In fact, the Boston Bar Association Statewide Task Force to Expand Civil Legal Aid in

Massachusetts 2014 study (http://www.bostonbar.org/public-policy/civil-legal-aid-in-ma) found

that every dollar invested in civil legal aid returns between two and five dollars to the state’s

economy and its residents. Increasing the appropriation for civil legal aid is a smart investment

for both its fiscal and social impact.

Increased funding for civil legal aid will also provide broader advantages for the

Commonwealth. Civil legal aid indirectly benefits businesses by helping to maintain a consistent

workforce and benefits the legal system by decreasing the number of pro se litigants so that

courts can operate more efficiently. Therefore it is all the more distressing that funding shortages

force civil legal aid programs to turn away 64% of eligible people seeking help. Not only does

this represent the suffering of the vulnerable, it represents a lost opportunity for residents to

access federal funds, for the state to improve its economy, for businesses to retain hardworking

employees, and for the legal system to deliver justice for all people. We once again urge you to

recommend $23 million for MLAC in the FY18 budget to support all those in Massachusetts

who rely on civil legal aid.

Thank you for your leadership and your work in improving the lives of the people of

Massachusetts.

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Sincerely,

Aaron M. Grossman

General Counsel

ZOLL Medical Corporation

Andrew Kopans

General Counel

Unidine Corporation

Antonio G. Gomes

General Counsel

Citrix Systems, Inc.

Bruce A. Leicher

General Counsel

Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Catherine V. Mannick

General Counsel

AcadiaSoft Inc.

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Brian R. Adams

General Counsel

Keryx Biopharmaceuticals

Christine Hughes

General Counsel

Emerson College

Danielle Sheer

General Counsel

Carbonite, Inc.

David Hutchinson

General Counsel

EMD Millipore Corporation

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Dan Haley

General Counsel

athenahealth, Inc.

Bill Mordan

General Counsel

Shire plc

William Gabovitch

General Counsel

Primark US Corp.

Erika Geetter

General Counsel

Boston University

Frank D. Burt

General Counsel

Boston Properties, Inc.

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Susan H. Alexander

Chief Legal Officer

Biogen Inc.

James F. Kelleher

Chief Legal Officer

Liberty Mutual Insurance

Halley E. Gilbert

Chief Legal Officer

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Jeffrey M. Snider

General Counsel

Sonus Networks, Inc.

Lynnette C. Fallon

General Counsel

Axcelis Technologies, Inc.

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Mark L. Neil

General Counsel

Dassault Systemes SolidWorks Corporation

Mark Roellig

General Counsel

MassMutual Financial Group

Mark R. Young

General Counsel

TravelCenters of America LLC

Craig Barrows

General Counsel

ImmunoGen, Inc.

Kathleen Henry

General Counsel

Eastern Bank Corp.

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Robert Arendell

General Counsel

Veolia North America

Michael MacDougall

General Counsel

EMD Serono, Inc.

Vanessa A. Eustace

General Counsel

C&W Services

Gerald E. Quirk, Esq.

Chief Legal Officer

Syros Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Michael Lipsitz

Chief Legal Officer

Santander Holdings USA, Inc.

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Mark N. Polebaum

General Counsel

MFS Investment Management

Scott D. Brown

Chief Legal Officer

Stroz Friedberg, LLC

Mark R. DiOrio

General Counsel

The Bulfinch Companies, Inc.

Thomas H. Dolan

General Counsel

ABP Corporation

Deborah Marson

General Counsel

Iron Mountain Incorporated

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Joel J. Brickman

General Counsel

The Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank

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Ken Smoller

General Counsel

RK Centers

Robert T. Burns

General Counsel

Putnam Investments LLC

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TripAdvisor, Inc.

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Erin Brennan Bagley

General Counsel

Coverys

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Jamie Katz

General Counsel

Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center

Seth Hoogasian

General Counsel

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.

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Cc: Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito Secretary Ronald L. Walker

Steve Kadish, Chief of Staff Secretary Jay Ash

Lon Povich, Chief Legal Counsel Elizabeth Mahoney, Policy Director

Secretary Kristen Lepore Robert Ross, General Counsel of A&F

Secretary Marylou Sudders Ryan Coleman, Legislative Director

Secretary Ronald L. Walker, II