Equal Justice Coalition

What Equal Justice Coalition does

The Equal Justice Coalition (EJC) is a nonprofit advocacy organization based in Boston, Massachusetts, founded in 2016 and structured as a collaboration between the Massachusetts Bar Association, Boston Bar Association, and the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC). With a staff of approximately 5, the EJC's sole mission is to advocate for increased state funding for civil legal aid in Massachusetts, focusing on the MLAC state budget line item (0321-1600). The coalition organizes the annual Walk to the Hill lobby day at the Massachusetts State House - now in its 27th year - which mobilizes 600+ private bar attorneys, law students, and advocates to meet with state legislators. Beyond the lobby day, EJC runs grassroots letter campaigns, social media advocacy under hashtags like #LegalAidChangesLives and #IWalkforJustice, and coordinates bar association and law firm support.

EJC has no commercial products, technology platform, or proprietary systems; its "deliverable" is policy influence. The organization is governed by a Chair (Louis Tompros, partner at WilmerHale, since August 2016) and managed by a Director (Laura Booth, since September 2016). The coalition serves low-income Massachusetts residents (households at or below 125% of the federal poverty level) facing civil legal issues including eviction, domestic violence, unemployment, benefits denial, and education access. In FY24, civil legal aid funded through MLAC served over 105,000 Massachusetts residents, with the turn-away rate falling from approximately 60% to 44% as funding increased.

The organization generates no commercial revenue; its operating support comes from coalition partners and in-kind contributions from member law firms. EJC's strategic value is measured by the MLAC appropriation it secures - $51 million in FY27 (level funding) and $55 million in FY25 - which translates into an estimated $109-113.5 million in annual cost savings to the Commonwealth through avoided shelter, healthcare, and public benefit expenditures.

Name

Equal Justice Coalition

Legal name

Equal Justice Coalition

Website

https://equaljusticecoalition.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Equal Justice Coalition is a Boston-based nonprofit advocacy coalition that lobbies Massachusetts state legislators for increased funding for civil legal aid through the MLAC budget line item, serving low-income residents facing housing, domestic violence, and benefits denial issues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civil Legal Aid Advocacy

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Social Advocacy Organizations (81331), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Defense & Legal Aid Services (BPAIAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM), Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

Keywords

• Civil legal aid advocacy
• Nonprofit policy advocacy
• Government funding lobbying
• Bar association coalition
• Access to justice

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle, Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Advocacy and Lobbying Services: The Equal Justice Coalition does not generate commercial revenue. It is a nonprofit coalition that advocates for increased state funding for civil legal aid through the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC) budget line item.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Equal Justice Coalition is a nonprofit advocacy coalition that advocates for increased state funding for civil legal aid in Massachusetts. It organizes the annual Walk to the Hill lobby day at the Massachusetts State House, mobilizing 600+ attorneys, law students, and advocates to lobby legislators for increased funding of the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC). The coalition also runs storytelling campaigns, letter campaigns, action alerts, and a Legislative Recognition Reception to sustain political support for civil legal aid.

Product overview

The Equal Justice Coalition (EJC) is a nonprofit advocacy organization, not a technology product company. It does not offer software products, platforms, or modules. The EJC's work consists of advocacy programs and initiatives to increase state funding for civil legal aid in Massachusetts, including organizing the annual Walk to the Hill lobby day, conducting awareness campaigns (#LegalAidChangesLives, #IWalkforJustice), and coordinating with bar associations and legal organizations. No commercial product or service offerings exist.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 105,000 people served in FY24 with civil legal aid
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• 58 General Counsels and In-House Lawyers at Massachusetts BusinessessupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 January 2024Signed letter supporting $55 million for civil legal aid in FY25 state budget, demonstrating business community support for legal aid funding
• Massachusetts Bar AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founding partner of the Equal Justice Coalition; provides leadership and participates in annual Walk to the Hill lobbying events
• Boston Bar AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founding partner of the Equal Justice Coalition; provides leadership and participates in annual Walk to the Hill lobbying events
• Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary beneficiary of EJC advocacy; largest funder of civil legal aid organizations in Massachusetts; provides executive leadership and funding data
• Women's Bar AssociationsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating member of the Equal Justice Coalition coalition, contributing to advocacy efforts for civil legal aid funding
• WilmerHalesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw firm whose partner Louis Tompros serves as EJC Chair; hosts Captains' Breakfast events; provides significant pro bono support
• UMass Law SchoolsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipates annually in Walk to the Hill; won Highest Participation for a Law School award multiple years; sends students to advocate for civil legal aid
• Social Services Organizations Across MassachusettssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of social services organizations across the Commonwealth that partner with EJC in advocating for civil legal aid funding

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Appleseed Foundation: A network of 17 state and local justice advocacy centers pursuing systemic reform through pro bono attorney networks, structurally analogous to EJC's bar-association-led coalition model.
• Texas Access to Justice Foundation: State-level civil legal aid funder and advocacy organization in Texas, structurally analogous to the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation and EJC's state-level advocacy mission.
• Vermont Bar Foundation: State-level funder of civil legal aid in Vermont that combines IOLTA grantmaking with advocacy for legal aid funding, mirroring the MLAC/EJC division of labor in Massachusetts.
• National Center for Access to Justice: Research and advocacy organization focused on expanding access to justice metrics and funding, with comparable goals to EJC's policy advocacy around civil legal aid investment.
• National Legal Aid & Defender Association: National membership and advocacy organization dedicated to increasing funding and support for civil legal aid and public defense, directly comparable to EJC's mission but at the federal level across all 50 states.
• National Coalition for the Civil Right to Counsel: Coalition that advocates for state and local funding of civil legal aid for low-income Americans in essential civil matters, closely mirroring EJC's coalition-based advocacy model for legal aid funding.

Broad incumbents

• Legal Services Corporation: The federal independent funder of civil legal aid for low-income Americans, serving as the national-level counterpart to Massachusetts' MLAC and the policy ecosystem in which EJC operates.
• Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP): National anti-poverty policy organization that conducts advocacy on access-to-justice and benefits issues intersecting with EJC's civil legal aid funding mission.
• American Bar Association Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants: National bar-association body coordinating civil legal aid and indigent defense advocacy, comparable in mission to EJC but operating at the national level across all U.S. jurisdictions.

Others

• Boston Bar Association: One of EJC's three co-founding partner organizations; while a coalition member rather than peer in the strict sense, it shares significant overlap in mission, membership, and access-to-justice programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/equaljusticema
• Facebookfacebook.com/EqualJusticeMA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/equal-justice-coalition
• Instagraminstagram.com/equaljusticema

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Equal Justice Coalition