AmeriCorps Legal Advocates of Massachusetts

By embedding advocates into legal aid programs, ALA-Massachusetts
opens doors to justice, invigorates organizations, and cultivates the next generation of public leaders.

• About Us
  AmeriCorps Legal Advocates of Massachusetts (ALA-Massachusetts) places national service members in legal services organizations in Massachusetts. Selected candidates serve on behalf of low-income people in civil (non-criminal) matters, and receive professional supervision and rigorous training. Our AmeriCorps advocates are placed in partner sites throughout Massachusetts, and are exposed to a wide range of legal activities including initial client contact and eligibility determinations, case development, legal research and writing, and hearings. Members also have the opportunity to do education and outreach in the community. Under federal rules, members cannot engage in political, union or religious activities while serving in an AmeriCorps program.
  
  Housing is a primary focus for all of our members, but placements are in most of the major civil law practice areas, including:
  •Housing
  •Immigration
  •Access to Government Benefits
  •Income Maintenance
  •Health Care Law
  •Legal Problems of Elders
  •Consumer Law
  •Criminal Records Sealing
  •Family Law.
  
  AmeriCorps Legal Advocates of Massachusetts is a program of South Coastal Counties Legal Services, Inc. (SCCLS), a private non-profit law firm providing legal assistance to eligible low-income clients. ALA-Massachusetts is funded through the Corporation for National and Community Service, administered by the Massachusetts Service Alliance, and housed at the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts, a wholly owned subsidiary of SCCLS. Formerly known as the Massachusetts Legal Assistance for Self Sufficiency Program (MLASSP), this program has been in operation since 2005.
• Our Impact
  Since 2005, our Amiercorps advocates have accomplished extraordinary things under the supervision of a range of partner sites all over Massachusetts. Each year, our advocates represent thousands of low-income individuals and families clients seeking legal assistance. In the area of housing alone, our members help hundreds of individuals each year both receive the housing services and transition into or be maintained in safe, affordable housing.