603 Legal Aid and NHLA Mission Statement

Our Vision, Mission, and Values

Our vision

Low-income people of New Hampshire will have their voices heard in the courtrooms and other legal and policy-making arenas of our state when their shelter, health care, subsistence income, education, custody of their children, safety from abuse, or other basic needs are at stake.

Our mission

Fulfill America’s promise of equal justice by providing civil legal services to New Hampshire’s poor, including education and empowerment, advice, representation, and advocacy for systemic change.

Our values

• A justice system accessible to all is a core element of our democracy’s social contract that binds everyone in our state together in a web of rights and responsibilities.
• If the justice system is to operate effectively and fairly, vigorous and skillful legal advocacy should be available to those who cannot purchase it in legal disputes in which their basic needs are at stake.
• The legal aid network, the private bar, and the judiciary have a particular obligation to promote these ideals and to lead efforts to persuade our political institutions to provide the necessary resources to put these principles into practice.
• Legal advocacy to assist individuals with day-to-day legal issues and systemic advocacy to address the underlying causes of poverty are complementary strategies in a comprehensive and effective legal aid system.
• Client needs should drive the New Hampshire legal aid system and legal services should be provided in a manner that respects the dignity and value of low-income people.