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Legal-aid groups ask for $775,000 to retain attorneys handling domestic violence and family law
Summary
Legal Aid Society and Utah Legal Services asked the committee for $775,000 one-time to boost pay and retain experienced attorneys who represent low-income family-law and domestic-violence victims; presenters said higher retention yields strong returns on investment and statewide access to counsel.
Stuart Ralphs, director of the Legal Aid Society of Salt Lake, and Pamela Beets, executive director of Utah Legal Services, told the subcommittee that civil legal aid provides high returns on taxpayer investment and is critical for people facing divorce, custody and protection-order proceedings.
They asked for $775,000 one-time to increase attorney pay (to roughly 70-75% of government attorney salaries) and to retain experienced staff. Ralphs cited a return-on-investment analysis showing about $13 returned to citizens for every $1 invested in civil legal aid in Utah, above the national average. Beets emphasized that 7 out of 10 people in civil cases lack representation and that last year her organization helped nearly 4,901 people obtain protective orders and served more than 5,200 domestic cases.
Legislators expressed support and asked about other funding sources; presenters said IOLTA funds supplement but do not cover the shortfall and that this request would fund operations and retention rather than expansion. The committee did not take a final vote on the RFA in the hearing.
Next steps: the RFA is on the committee record for consideration; legal-aid organizations signaled readiness to provide more detail about statewide coverage and cost models if requested.
