question: What kind of people need legal representation but don't receive it? answer: Crime victims paragraph: F. Dianne Taylor is executive director of Legal Services of Eastern Missouri. We're all familiar with the Miranda warning, or at least how it sounds in the movies. It includes the statement: "You have the right to speak to an attorney and to have an attorney present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at government expense." The Miranda warning, though, applies only to criminal cases. What about the less theatrical, but equally troubling, civil problems that can afflict people in any walk of life? U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has estimated that four out of every five low-income people in America who need legal representation don't receive it. That is a sobering observation, to realize that 80 percent of those who need legal help are denied such guidance and counsel. Who are these people? They may be victims of domestic abuse. Perhaps they are elderly people who are swindled out of their life savings or beaten by a neighbor or acquaintance. Maybe they are homeless children who can't attend school because they aren't officially residents of a district. They are our neighbors, our friends, our colleagues. Facing eviction or physical assault or bankruptcy without legal assistance can be every bit as frightening as standing trial on a criminal charge. Issues in civil cases include family matters, housing and employment cases, consumer protection, public benefits and income maintenance. In the year 2000 alone, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri fielded some 30,000 calls for assistance from low-income people in the 21 counties our not-for-profit organization represents. By contrast, approximately 6,500 cases were closed by the organization last year. More than 312,000 people in the eastern Missouri counties stretching from the Iowa border to Jefferson County qualify for legal aid, an increase of more than 10 percent from 1990. 