H3448: An Act establishing a right to counsel in certain eviction cases
This legislation creates a right to counsel for indigent individuals in civil proceedings in which loss of housing is a potential outcome. What good are legal rights if you cannot afford to exercise them? For far too many, “and justice for all” is an illusion. Supported by the American, Massachusetts and Boston Bar Associations, this legislation helps make the promise of justice more real. Housing is one of the foundations on which individuals and families build lives, and the loss of housing is one of the most disruptive events a person or family can experience. By making sure rights are protected in practice as well as in theory, we can also at times avert the introduction of a major risk factor for homelessness and thereby see budgetary savings.
