A task force charged with improving access to legal assistance to the state's poorer residents has come up with a litany of recommendations to address the problem – and some suggestions on how to pay for their initiatives. In the judicial system low-income residents who are accused of committing a crime are able to receive the assistance of a public defender, but if a poor resident is unable to get an attorney to take their civil matter on a contingency fee, then they are generally unable to pursue their claims.
