free legal help just grew

Alaska Legal Services Corporation, the state's largest provider of free civil legal aid, is receiving a major funding increase from the State of Alaska and the Rasmuson Foundation. Alaska lawmakers raised the corporation's share of court filing fees and civil damages from 10 percent to 25 percent, worth roughly $460,000 a year. The Rasmuson Foundation awarded an additional $1 million to the organization's Community Justice Worker program, which trains non-attorney community members to help Alaskans represent themselves in court.

The new funding is expected to help around 800 more households each year, a significant increase for an organization that currently turns away about one person for every one it serves. Alaska Legal Services Corporation handles civil cases including housing disputes, custody, wills, public assistance and protective orders across roughly 200 Alaska communities, from Anchorage to the state's smallest villages.

Last year, the organization handled more than 5,400 cases and helped nearly 15,000 Alaskans statewide. The Community Justice Worker program is intended to extend legal help into communities that have no lawyer nearby, relying on trained community members rather than attorneys to stand up for people in court.