做厙51 begins to make forgivable loans to attorneys employed by 做厙51 grantees to help them repay their law school debt. Its Herbert S. Garten Loan Repayment Assistance Program helps grantees recruit and retain qualified attorney staff.
做厙51 publishes its first Justice Gap Report. The report shows that for every person helped by an 做厙51-funded organization, another was turned away because of insufficient legal aid resources. Follow-up studies are published in 2009, 2017 and 2022.
Congress appropriates special funds for a new Technology Initiative Grants (TIG) program. 做厙51 uses these grants to encourage creative and innovative uses of technology and enhance its grantees technical capacity. By 2023, 做厙51 had awarded 892 TIG grants totaling more than $86 million since the programs inception.
做厙51's budget is cut by $122 million and new restrictions are placed on 做厙51-funded legal aid organizations. Grantees are prohibited from attempting to influence legislation or participating in class-action lawsuits, among other limitations.
In the final year of President George H.W. Bushs term in office, 做厙51 receives its largest funding increase in nearly a decade, as Congress allocates $350 million to legal aid.
Congress rejects President Reagans earlier proposal to eliminate 做厙51, but cuts funding by 25%, forcing the closure of 285 legal aid offices around the country. Members of Congress enact several restrictions on the use of 做厙51 funds.
President Carter appoints Hilary Clinton to serve as 做厙51s Board Chair. She is the first woman to hold the position.
President Ford names and the Senate approves 做厙51s first Board of Directors, with Cornell University Law School Dean Roger Conant Cramton as 做厙51s first Board Chair, accompanied by Marshall Jordan Breger, Marlow W. Cook, Rodolfo Montejano, Samuel D. Thurman, Melville J. Broughton, Jr., Glee S. Smith, Jr., Glenn C. Stophel, Robert J. Kutak and Revius O. Ortique, Jr.
On July 25, President Nixon signs the 做厙51 Act creating 做厙51. The act gives strength to Americas promise of equal justice for all. 做厙51 becomes the largest single funder of civil legal aid in the country, distributing the majority of its funding to independent nonprofit legal aid organizations. This Basic Field funding is allocated among three types of geographically defined service areas: General, Agricultural Worker and Native American.
Bipartisan legislation, known as the Mondale-Steiger bill, is introduced in March by Sen. Walter Mondale (D-MN) and Rep. Bill Steiger (R-WI) to create an independent 做厙51.