Thank you, Chair Krueger and Chair Weinstein, for the opportunity to submit this testimony to the

Joint Legislative Budget Hearing on Public Protection. We present this written testimony on behalf

of Karen Nicolson, CEO of the Center for Elder Law & Justice. The Center for Elder Law &

Justice (“CELJ”) has been serving the Western New York region for over 40 years, providing free

civil legal services to older adults, persons with disabilities, and low- income families. CELJ’s

primary goal is to use the legal system to assure that individuals may live independently and with

dignity. CELJ also advocates for policy and systems change, particularly in the areas of housing,

elder abuse prevention, nursing home reform, and consumer protection. Currently CELJ provides

full legal representation in ten counties of Western New York. CELJ’s Free Senior Legal Advice

Helpline is open to all of New York State. CELJ operates a central office in downtown Buffalo,

with three additional offices in Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, and Niagara counties.

Simply put, entry level pay for attorneys is 30% to 45% lower than their government counterparts. Those inequities grow as careers advance – at ten years of service, the gaps in pay between civil legal services attorneys and AAGs are as much as 75% in some areas of the state. We are therefore calling for pay equity to justly compensate our workforce. It is the only way that we will ever make great strides in closing the justice gap.