“Our purpose is to provide civil legal services to moderate- and lower-income earners in Boulder County and along the Front Range. It’s challenging for people in the middle to afford a private attorney. As a result, they’re often forced to represent themselves.
“Our purpose is to provide civil legal services to moderate- and lower-income earners in Boulder County and along the Front Range,” says Bruce Wiener, founder and Executive Director of Bridge to Justice (B2J), a grantee of the Community Foundation.
B2J’s dedicated team of three – also including Ericka Fowler and Susan Vanderborgh – works to bridge the divide between legal needs and legal access with affordable, high quality legal services. “Boulder has one of the highest costs of living in the country, and lacks affordable legal services,” explains Bruce. “The cost of living for one adult and two children is $55,524 – yet, 46% of households in Boulder County make $50K per year, or less.”
A lawyer himself, Bruce recognized early on that the wealthy can afford any lawyer of their choice, and that those living below the poverty line have access to free Legal Aid services – but what of those with moderate to lower incomes? “It’s challenging for people in the middle to afford a private attorney. As a result, they’re often forced to represent themselves.”
“There’s a huge gap in the legal system,” explains Bruce. “Unlike criminal cases, there’s no constitutional requirement for legal representation in civil cases. And that’s not just a problem in Boulder County and statewide – it’s a problem nationwide.”
So Bruce and his team are doing their part to provide legal help in civil cases for moderate and lower income individuals and families. How do they do it? B2J charges a significantly reduced, fixed hourly rate ($95/hour) for out-of-court services, and $120 for in-court services.
“Clients qualify for our services based on their household income and assets,” says Bruce. Specifically, B2J’s income guidelines are based on the HUD low-income limit, which is 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) for Boulder County. “In 2016, our income cutoff for an individual was $46K, and $65,700 for a family of four.”
According to Bruce, some 90% of cases involve pre- and post-decree divorce, child custody disputes, and civil protection orders. The remaining 10% of cases involve landlord-tenant, consumer protection, Chapter 7 bankruptcy, end-of-life estate planning and Social Security disability appeals.
“We really try to keep out costs low, and pass those savings along to our clients,” Bruce continues. B2J keeps marketing expenses to a minimum, as well as costs for recruiting and training. “We hire seasoned lawyers, rather than training young lawyers,” he says.
Still, Bruce anticipates B2J will expand beyond local and statewide communities. “The need is great,” he says. “The legal system is created by and for lawyers, and is therefore quite complex to navigate without a legal background. Self-representing clients are generally unfamiliar with the law and court procedures which, in turn, stresses the judicial systems and clogs the courts.”
Indeed, according to B2J, 64% of family law cases filed in Boulder County in 2014 had no attorney on either side, and 75% of parties in domestic relations cases filed in Boulder County in 2014 proceeded without a lawyer. “Without an advocate, litigants may not receive effective solutions, and can increase dependency on government programs,” Bruce says. “The current model isn’t working, and we’re trying to change that.”
To that end, B2J is already making a tremendous difference by benefitting children of conflicted homes by reducing problems associated with parental conflict; improving court administration by clarifying legal issues and speeding resolutions; and demonstrating a sustainable business model based primarily on client fees, supplemented by stable grant funding and donations.
“Our work is very emotionally challenging,” adds Bruce. “But it’s also incredibly rewarding.”
