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The office that oversees legal services for Maine’s poor is asking for more employees to fix a myriad of financial and constitutional problems identified by watchdog groups.
The Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services has been under scrutiny as lawyers and legislators alike call for reform. A state agency published a report last year that concluded the commission has little organizational structure, lacks oversight and does not have established policies for attorney billing. The longtime executive director stepped down from his position in December. New leadership has started to make changes but told legislators Friday that more resources are necessary.