24 Years of Access to Justice Commissions: New Report Released
Legal pro bono work centers itself on access to justice for those who need it the most. To this end, the American Bar Association set up the first Access to Justice Commission in 1994 [1]. For over 24 years, the commissions in over 40 states and U.S. territories have linked people with the legal aid they deserve. The ABA has finally come out with a comprehensive report analyzing this body’s system, funding, staffing, and happenings [2].
Through the report’s data and analytics, the ABA hopes to facilitate the access to justice system across the United States. One of the report’s main aims is to support the development and expansion of access to justice commissions by collating information to better the system.
“Focused on the functionality of these commissions, the report found that having professional staff; active stakeholder involvement, including legal aid; and outside fundraising led to more effective commissions.”
With all the information and improvements to the access-to-justice pipeline that the project and reports share, more Americans in need of legal aid can finally get the assistance they require. In a study by the Legal Services Corp [3], it was found that an overwhelming 7 out of 10 low-income American families faced a civil legal problem in 2016 [4]. Unfortunately, out of those numbers, only 20% of families sought legal assistance. According to findings, perceived costs of legal aid stopped the families from moving forward.
Links
- https://www.americanbar.org/groups/legal_aid_indigent_defendants/initiatives/resource_center_for_access_to_justice/atj-commissions.html
- http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/aba_releases_new_report_on_state_access_to_justice_commissions
- https://www.lsc.gov/media-center/publications/2017-justice-gap-report#bfrtoc-the-2017-justice-gap-report
- http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/86_percent_of_civil_legal_issues_of_low_income_americans_get_inadequate_or
