American Bar Association, House of Delegates Resolution and Report (adopted August 2006), available here.
"Urges federal, state, and territorial governments to provide legal counsel as a matter of right at public expense to low income persons in those categories of adversarial proceedings where basic human needs are at stake, such as those involving shelter, sustenance, safety, health or child custody, as determined by each jurisdiction."
Co-sponsored by the New York City Bar Association, King County Bar Association (Washington), Main State Bar Association, New York County Lawyer's Association, Philadelphia Bar Association, Washington State Bar Association, Boston Bar Association, Colorado Bar Association, New York State Bar Association, Connecticut Bar Association, Minnesota State Bar Association, Los Angeles County Bar Association, Bar Association of the District of Columbia.
The ABA resolution has been supported by the Massachusetts Bar Association.
The ABA resolution has been supported by the Chicago Bar Association and Chicago Bar Foundation with the following caveats:
- The principal way to fulfill the goals of this resolution is to build on the existing comprehensive and multi-tiered pro bono/legal aid delivery system in our State; and
- while an appointed counsel element should be a part of this system, there needs to be a mechanism to screen cases for merit before extended representation is provided.