WASHINGTON, D.C. — West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Brent Benjamin will be at the White House Tuesday to meet with senior officials with the U.S. Department of Justice and other leaders in the legal community.
They’ll be talking about ways to expand legal services to people who cannot afford those services during The White House Forum on Increasing Access to Justice.
It’s the third forum those with the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), which Congress created in 1974, have co-hosted with the White House.
LSC currently provides funding to 134 independent, nonprofit legal aid programs in every state.
“Sadly, in our state, Legal Aid must turn away roughly two-thirds of those who seek help in our courts and West Virginia Legal Aid has less than one attorney per county,” said Justice Benjamin, a longtime advocate for legal access, in a statement.
Benjamin was elected to a 12-year term on the Supreme Court in 2004. He served as Chief Justice in 2009 and 2013.
Tuesday’s White House meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m.