History

We were honored to have Senator Elizabeth Warren send her congratulations on the occasion of our organization’s 65th anniversary.

In 1951, the Legal Aid Society of Worcester (LASW) was created, followed by Central Massachusetts Legal Services (CMLS) in 1968.  These two agencies provided services in Worcester County.  In 1972, Western Massachusetts Legal Services (WMLS) was created out of a consolidation of four pre-existing organizations providing legal services in Western Massachusetts. In 1982, the Legal Assistance Corporation of Central Massachusetts (LACCM) was formed by the merger of LASW and CMLS.  In 1996, following changes in federal support for legal aid, the Massachusetts Justice Project (MJP) was created to provide services throughout Central and Western Massachusetts. In 2011, LACCM and WMLS consolidated, creating Community Legal Aid, Inc. (CLA). In 2014, CLA consolidated with MJP and became the single and unique provider of legal services in Central and Western Massachusetts. As part of this reorganization, CLA created a wholly-owned subsidiary, Central West Justice Center (CWJC), to provide additional services to clients.

To download a pdf file containing a longer, more detailed, history of CLA in Worcester, written by the Hon. Francis R. Fecteau (Ret.), click here.