Equal justice to all doesn’t extend to New Hampshire’s poor, according to report

CONCORD – “Justice for all” doesn’t extend to the state’s poor, according to a study released Thursday. The legal needs of poor New Hampshire residents aren’t being served in the way they are for moderate or high-income residents, especially for poor women, the disabled or the elderly, according to the study, released by the New Hampshire Access to Justice Commission. Lawyers are provided to poor defendants charged with a crime through the state’s Public Defender system. However, a person who doesn’t have money to hire an attorney can be left out in the cold on civil and family matters, such as tenant-landlord disputes, child custody battles, consumer and tax issues, and other matters, according to the report. The report, titled “The Justice Gap,” found that the state’s three main legal services organizations offered assistance in 8,403 civil cases in 2010.