About Us

Access to Justice

Every day, GBLS attorneys and paralegals provide critical legal advice and representation to low-income individuals. In addition, thousands of other poor families and individuals benefit from the systemic advocacy GBLS carries out on behalf of its clients. A few examples include:

• Increased safety for battered women and their children thanks to improved laws governing custody, visitation, and restraining orders.
• Improved access to public transportation for thousands of individuals with disabilities, the result of a class action settlement with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in April 2006 in which GBLS represented the plaintiffs.
• Improved protection for victims of political and gender-based persecution seeking asylum in the U.S.
• Increased hourly wages for low-wage workers as a result of the Boston's Living Wage Ordinance and Massachusetts' increased minimum wage.
• Improvement of the unemployment system for low-wage workers, non-English speaking claimants, and domestic violence survivors.
• Long term preservation of close to 3,000 units of affordable housing for the poor, elderly, and disabled, which were going to be converted to market-rate rents.

The Need

Despite all GBLS' extraordinary work, it is not enough. Every day, three our of five clients with legitimate claims are turned away due to a lack of staffing resources. These people, with meritorious legal claims, have nowhere else to turn to seek justice.