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FRONTLINE JUSTICE is SUPERCHARGing A MOVEMENT OF JUSTICE WORKERS

FRONTLINE JUSTICE is SUPERCHARGing A MOVEMENT OF JUSTICE WORKERS

Frontline Justice is a national, non-partisan organization with a mission to mobilize, support, and equip trusted community advocates to become frontline legal helpers—justice workers who ensure that all Americans have access to affordable and effective support for accessing justice on everyday matters.

Goal
Progress
Team
Frontline Justice and its partners are transforming access to justice by:

Policy Advocacy

We advocate for expanding unauthorized practice of law carveouts that allow community helpers who aren’t attorneys to meet their community’s basic, but pressing legal needs.

Evidence-based Best Practices

Our research team delivers data-driven learnings to spur policy change that supports justice workers.

Workforce development

We serve as a resource for scalable, evidence-based training and credentialing standards to grow the justice worker movement.

Innovate & Centralize Resources

We foster community and are a support hub that will scale up community justice workers’ efficiency and impact.

Our 10-Year Goal

By 2035, Frontline Justice envisions a future where everyone, no matter their background or location, can access the legal help they need. We're working to establish a nationwide network of community justice workers, ensuring that people facing legal challenges no longer have to navigate them alone. Too often, low-income and marginalized communities are left without solutions to critical legal issues. By expanding the reach of community justice workers, we aim to build a justice system that is fairer, more accessible, and better equipped to serve all Americans.

The story of a movement

Frontline Justice was founded to tackle the severe access to justice crisis in the United States, where millions of civil legal issues go unresolved each year.
‍
The movement aims to empower a new category of legal helpers — community justice workers — who provide critical support to people facing legal challenges. Inspired by successful models such as Alaska's Community Justice Worker program, Frontline Justice leverages local knowledge and community assets to make legal help accessible to everyone, especially underserved populations. By expanding legal assistance beyond traditional lawyer-centric models, Frontline Justice strives to democratize access to civil justice for all.

Frontline Justice equips community justice workers — individuals embedded in their local communities, such as librarians, social workers, and faith leaders — with the tools, knowledge, and training necessary to assist people with everyday legal challenges. These justice workers provide support in trusted spaces where people already seek help, preventing legal issues from escalating and addressing them before they become overwhelming. Through partnerships with local organizations, we work to scale this model across the country, ensuring that legal help is available at the grassroots level.

10 Year Goal

By 2035, Frontline Justice envisions a future where everyone, no matter their background or location, can access the legal help they need. We're working to establish a nationwide network of community justice workers, ensuring that people facing legal challenges no longer have to navigate them alone. Too often, low-income and marginalized communities are left without solutions to critical legal issues. By expanding the reach of community justice workers, we aim to build a justice system that is fairer, more accessible, and better equipped to serve all Americans.

Progress to date

As of
today
,
#
states have passed or
proposed rules for authorizing justice worker programs
and
many more
are actively developing them.
state programs details
→
No Known Activity
Arkansas

No Known Activity
Arkansas

Approved
Arizona

This state has approved justice worker enabling reforms.

Approved
Arizona

This state has approved justice worker enabling reforms.

Approved
Alaska

This state has approved justice worker enabling reforms.

Approved
Alaska

This state has approved justice worker enabling reforms.

Approved
Delaware

This state has approved justice worker enabling reforms.

Approved
Delaware

This state has approved justice worker enabling reforms.

No Known Activity
Alabama

No Known Activity
Alabama

Local Activity
Colorado

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
Colorado

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

No Known Activity
Connecticut

No Known Activity
Connecticut

Local Activity
District of Columbia

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
District of Columbia

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

No Known Activity
Florida

No Known Activity
Florida

Local Activity
Idaho

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
Idaho

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
Georgia

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
Georgia

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Approved
Hawaii

This state has approved justice worker enabling reforms.

Approved
Hawaii

This state has approved justice worker enabling reforms.

No Known Activity
Illinois

No Known Activity
Illinois

Local Activity
California

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
California

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
Indiana

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
Indiana

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

No Known Activity
Iowa

No Known Activity
Iowa

No Known Activity
Kansas

No Known Activity
Kansas

No Known Activity
Maine

No Known Activity
Maine

Local Activity
Kentucky

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
Kentucky

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
Louisiana

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
Louisiana

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
Maryland

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
Maryland

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Approved
Minnesota

This state has approved justice worker enabling reforms.

Approved
Minnesota

This state has approved justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
Michigan

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
Michigan

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

No Known Activity
Mississippi

No Known Activity
Mississippi

No Known Activity
North Dakota

No Known Activity
North Dakota

Local Activity
Montana

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
Montana

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

No Known Activity
Missouri

No Known Activity
Missouri

No Known Activity
Nebraska

No Known Activity
Nebraska

Local Activity
New Hampshire

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
New Hampshire

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

No Known Activity
Nevada

No Known Activity
Nevada

No Known Activity
Massachusetts

No Known Activity
Massachusetts

Local Activity
New York

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
New York

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
New Mexico

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
New Mexico

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
North Carolina

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
North Carolina

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

No Known Activity
New Jersey

No Known Activity
New Jersey

Local Activity
Oklahoma

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
Oklahoma

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
Ohio

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
Ohio

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
Oregon

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
Oregon

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

No Known Activity
Pennsylvania

No Known Activity
Pennsylvania

No Known Activity
Rhode Island

No Known Activity
Rhode Island

Approved
South Carolina

This state has approved justice worker enabling reforms.

Approved
South Carolina

This state has approved justice worker enabling reforms.

No Known Activity
South Dakota

No Known Activity
South Dakota

No Known Activity
Wyoming

No Known Activity
Wyoming

No Known Activity
Tennessee

No Known Activity
Tennessee

Pending
Texas

This state has pending justice worker enabling reforms.

Pending
Texas

This state has pending justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
Virginia

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
Virginia

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Approved
Utah

This state has approved justice worker enabling reforms.

Approved
Utah

This state has approved justice worker enabling reforms.

Approved
Washington

This state has approved justice worker enabling reforms.

Approved
Washington

This state has approved justice worker enabling reforms.

No Known Activity
West Virginia

No Known Activity
West Virginia

Local Activity
Wisconsin

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
Wisconsin

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
Vermont

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

Local Activity
Vermont

Stakeholders exploring justice worker enabling reforms.

The data presented here is for informational purposes only and may not be accurate or up to date. Users are encouraged to verify all details independently, as we do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the data.

We are building a team across party, region, background, discipline, sector, and beyond.

1-2 sentences about the team and Frontline’s approach to building it.

Co-Chairs

John Bridgeland
Co-Chair
Cecilia Muñoz
Co-Chair, Frontline Justice; Co-Chair, National Community Justice Workers Task Force
Rebecca Sandefur
Co-Founder & Co-Chair

CORE Team

Nikole Nelson
Chief Executive Officer
Matthew Burnett
Co-Founder & Senior Advisor
James J. Sandman
National Leadership Council Chair
Alicia Mitchell-Mercer
Chief Operating Officer
Rachel Royal
Program Coordinator
Celine Ta
Innovation Team Lead

Advisors

Andrew Mangino
Advisor
Zac Hill
Advisor

National lEadership Council Members

Justice Brett Busby
Justice, Supreme Court of Texas; Co-Chair, National Community Justice Workers Task Force
John G. Levi
Senior Counsel at Sidney Austin; LSC Board Chairman
Justice Jennifer Henderson
Associate Justice Alaska Supreme Court
Lucretia Murphy, J.D., Ph.D.
Vice President, Center for Justice and Economic Advancement, Jobs for the Future
Billy Shore
Founder and Executive Chair of Share Our Strength, No Kid Hungry Campaign
Charles H. DeBow, III
President and Chief Executive Officer, National Black Chamber of Commerce
Georges C. Benjamin, MD
Executive Director, American Public Health Association
Thomas Berry
Director, Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies, Cato Institute
Julián Castro
Chief Executive Officer, Latino Community Foundation
General Pete Chiarelli
Former Vice Chief of Staff, Army
Rebecca Cokley
First Disability Rights Program Officer, Ford Foundation
Lisa Dewey
Pro Bono Partner, DLA Piper US LLP
Rev. Michael Eric Dyson
Distinguished University Professor at Vanderbilt University
Lisa Foster
Co-Founder and Senior Advisor, Judicial Engagement
Leslie Frane
Executive Vice President, SEIU (Service Employees International Union)
Andrew Friedman
Founding Director, NYU School of Law Initiative for Community Power
Bethany Hamilton, JD
Director of the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership, Milken Institute School of Public Health Department of Health Policy and Management, The George Washington University
Justice Melissa Hart
Justice, Colorado Supreme Court; Adjunct Professor, University of Colorado Law School and DU Sturm College of Law
27th Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Texas
Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Texas
Lam Ho
Founder & Executive Director, Beyond Legal Aid
Justice Wallace B. Jefferson
Partner, Alexander Dubose & Jefferson, LLP; Former Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Texas
Maha Jweied
CEO, Responsible Business Initiative for Justice
Charles Kamasaki
Visiting Scholar, Cornell Law School; Senior Advisor, UnidosUS; and Fellow, Migration Policy Institute
Joseph Kennedy III
Special Envoy for Northern Ireland
Erica Teasley Linnick
Vice President, State Infrastructure Fund, NEO Philanthropy
Rishi Manchanda, MD, MPH
CEO, HealthBegins
Vivek Maru
CEO, Namati
Mary McClymont
Former President and CEO, Public Welfare Foundation; Senior Fellow, Georgetown Justice Lab
Justice Bridget McCormack
Former Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Michigan
Kimberly Merchant
Senior Director of Advocate Resources and Training, Shriver Center on Poverty Law
Harriet Miers
Partner, Locke Lord LLP
Dr. Robert Onders
Medical Director, Maniilaq Health Center
Ai-Jen Poo
President, National Domestic Workers Alliance
Rebecca Rapp
General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer, Ascendium Education Group, Inc.
William (Bill) Alvarado Rivera
Senior Vice President, Litigation, AARP Foundation
Tanina Rostain
Agnes Williams Sesquicentennial Professor of Justice Innovation, Georgetown Law Center
Rev. Dr. Gabriel Salguero
Pastor, The Gathering Place, President, National Latino Evangelical Coalition
Tim Shriver
Founder & CEO, UNITE; Chairman, Special Olympics; Chairman, C.A.S.E.L.
Radhika Singh
Vice President, Civil Legal Services and Strategic Policy Initiatives, National Legal Aid and Defender Association
Michele Statz
Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota Medical School; Affiliated Faculty, University of Minnesota Law School
Sacha Steinberger
Founder & Co-Executive Director, Legal Link
David Udell
Executive Director, National Center for Access to Justice
Laura Vazquez
Director of Immigrant Integration at UnidosUS
Jim Wallis
Chair & Director, Georgetown Center on Faith and Justice
Questions? Contact Us
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332-223-7813