Access to Justice

Do court bans on electronic devices impede access to justice?

Courts of all types have banned cellphones in courtrooms. Some inform litigants of the ban before they show up, others don’t. Some offer lockers for storage, others don’t. Courts have cited different reasons for the bans, ranging from preventing disruption in the courtroom to protecting witnesses who could be photographed and potentially threatened for appearing.

Apr 1, 2019 2:00 AM CDT

With LSC under threat for third year, ABA president asks Congress to increase legal aid funding

ABA President Bob Carlson has called on Congress to not only reject the Trump administration's proposal to eliminate all federal funding for the Legal Services Corp., but to also increase its support of the independent nonprofit organization so more individuals can gain access to the justice system.

Mar 18, 2019 3:40 PM CDT

Lawyers can refer clients to lending companies in which they have a stake, ethics opinion says

Formal Opinion 484 intends to clarify attorney-fee financing used to help close the access-to-justice gap. While some in the business of facilitating loans welcome the opinion, others see it as nothing new.

Mar 1, 2019 1:20 AM CST

Law students ‘connect beyond language’ in new class about representing Spanish-speaking clients

A new class at the University of California at Berkeley School of Law about representing Spanish-speaking clients is focusing on both verbal and nonverbal communication. According to Fernando Flores, a lecturer at the law school, “I’ve been working with low-income immigrant communities where most of the people don’t speak English.…

Jan 15, 2019 2:34 PM CST

Public interest attorney takes cue from Man of Steel, aspires to be super-lawyer

As a public interest lawyer, I feel the tension every day. From the stoic sense of focusing on what is possible to the idealistic urge to remake the system, sometimes I feel paralyzed between what I can do for my clients and what I should do for them.

Dec 18, 2018 7:00 AM CST

Access-to-justice gap? It’s the economy

In November, the ABA published Formal Opinion 484. From the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility, the opinion approves of some forms of attorney fee financing, believing that they can help close the access-to-justice gap, defined as those who need but can’t attain legal support. “Formal Opinion 484…

Dec 17, 2018 7:30 AM CST

Does your client need fee financing? New ABA ethics opinion provides guidance

Lawyers may refer clients to fee financing companies even if they own a financial interest in the lender or broker, according to a new Formal Opinion from the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility.

Nov 27, 2018 9:55 AM CST

How can we reform legal education? Try spotlighting the outcomes

I am happy to be back after an unexpected hiatus because of a summer car accident. The silver lining is that with more time came additional research and conversations about the topic of reshaping our legal profession. Below are some of the responses to my July article, which led me…

Nov 9, 2018 8:15 AM CST

In the battle for net neutrality, the A2J community is notably quiet

The battle over net neutrality is opening new fronts.

Just a few weeks ago, the U.S. Department of Justice sued California to stop its new net neutrality law from going into effect.

Oct 22, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

Does a diverse bench really matter?

It has been said that justice is blind, and for the legal profession, that is the hope and the ideal that we believe in. Unfortunately, in reality “justice” has many factors that influence outcomes, and the lack of diversity on the bench can lead to unjust results.

Oct 18, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

New game lets players train AI to spot legal issues

Got a free minute? There’s a new game that will help train an artificial intelligence model to spot legal issues and help close the access-to-justice gap.

Oct 16, 2018 6:30 AM CDT

DoNotPay app aims to help users sue anyone in small claims court—without a lawyer

Updated: A new update to an existing chatbot app promises to allow users to "sue anyone in small claims court for up to $25,000 without the help of a lawyer," though early users warn of technical bugs and legal and ethical concerns.

Oct 10, 2018 9:30 AM CDT

Have an innovative idea to serve community legal needs? This ABE grant program could be for you

Applications are open for the American Bar Endowment's Opportunity Grant Program, which gives one-time monetary awards to innovative legal services or research programs offered by nonprofit groups. Previous Opportunity Grant awardees include Kentucky's Legal Aid of the Bluegrass, which used the money to buy a Mercedes Sprinter van outfitted with a mobile law office, and the Minnesota Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which started a medical-legal partnership embedded in a diagnostic clinic for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

Oct 10, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

Access-to-justice work earns MacArthur ‘genius grant’ for American Bar Foundation faculty fellow

American Bar Foundation faculty fellow Rebecca Sandefur has been awarded a MacArthur Fellowship for 2018 for her work "promoting a new, evidence-based approach to increasing access to civil justice for low-income communities."

Oct 5, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

Let’s trash ‘data dump’ litigation ploys

Lawyers become their own worst enemies when they abandon reasonable discovery compromise to chase the ever-elusive smoking gun. A second misconception that has to go is that only the manual review of produced documents will suffice.