Access to Justice

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.

Oct 5, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

Atlanta pro bono program expands to resolve elementary school students’ housing issues

The Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation addressed issues in an apartment complex where evictions are routine and black mold is rampant.

Oct 1, 2018 2:00 AM CDT

Legal aid program in Oklahoma is dedicated to representing moms in trouble

The group Still She Rises seeks to address criminalization and incarceration of women in Oklahoma, focusing on helping indigent mothers in northern Tulsa, a historically impoverished and underresourced community. Still She Rises began taking clients in January 2017 as the first pro bono law office in the country specifically dedicated to representing mothers involved in the criminal justice system.

Oct 1, 2018 1:45 AM CDT

ABA releases new report on access to justice commissions in the US

Twenty-four years after the founding of the first access to justice commission, the American Bar Association has released a report analyzing the the structure, activity, staffing and funding in 40 state and U.S. territory commissions. “Access to Justice Commissions: Increasing Effectiveness Through Adequate Staffing and Funding” was compiled for the…

Sep 14, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

Can licensed legal paraprofessionals narrow the access-to-justice gap?

Proposals for addressing the commonplace civil legal needs of low- and moderate-income persons by authorizing limited practice by licensed nonlawyer paraprofessionals have been gaining acceptance. Unlike paralegals, such paraprofessionals provide services without supervision by an attorney. Two state supreme courts have embraced the licensed legal technician concept, and other jurisdictions are closely studying it.

Sep 6, 2018 6:05 AM CDT