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Defining Training Pathways for Community Justice Workers

A new workforce of justice workers with the vocational training to provide basic legal services can make equal access to justice a reality. Together, we’re connecting everyday Americans to needed legal help and opening doors to high-demand jobs nationwide. Bring justice workers to your neighborhood! Training resources are coming soon.
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A Joint Project of

About the Project

Frontline Justice—in partnership with Ascendium and the Education Design Lab—brings together leaders and local advocates to co-develop resources grounded in community needs. Together, the National Community Justice Worker Taskforce is exploring credentialing, an education pathway, and interactive training for justice workers.

Justice workers are community members like shelter volunteers, union and faith leaders, and community health aides (promotoras) who are trained to give their community the essential legal help that lawyers aren’t providing. With more justice workers in the field, everyday Americans will gain access to the legal help they need for critical issues like housing, employment, and family support. At the same time, these accessible career pathways will open the door to high-demand jobs in communities nationwide.

Learn more about why community justice workers are the best way we can meet the vast unmet needs in our country.
Read OUR JUSTICE CRISIS Report
MORE QUESTIONS? Read OUR FAQ >

The Path Forward

To train a new workforce of justice workers that can match the ~120 million everyday legal issues that go unresolved each year, training cannot look like a typical law school.
We chart two educational pathways for community justice workers:
  1. Expanding competencies of individuals, such as social workers, who want to layer legal know-how on top of their existing skills
  2. Building a career pathway for individuals who want full-time employment as a justice worker
Either way, training should be:

Low Barrier

Open to diverse backgrounds with minimal prerequisites

Affordable

Cost-effective and flexible for full-time workers.

Skill-based

Hands-on training immediately applicable in real-world situations

Stackable

Modular learning for ongoing growth and career building.

The Path Forward

To train a new workforce of justice workers that can match the ~120 million everyday legal issues that go unresolved each year, training cannot look like a typical law school.
We chart two educational pathways for community justice workers:
  1. Expanding competencies of individuals, such as social workers, who want to layer legal know-how on top of their existing skills
  2. Building a career pathway for individuals who want full-time employment as a justice worker
Either way, training should be:

Low Barrier

Open to diverse backgrounds with minimal prerequisites

Affordable

Cost-effective and flexible for full-time workers.

Skill-based

Hands-on training immediately applicable in real-world situations

Stackable

Modular learning for ongoing growth and career building.

Task Force

Our Task Force is made up of changemakers and top leaders—from CEOs of major organizations to justice innovators. They’re using their influence and expertise to shape a toolkit that community justice workers can use to make a real impact. Together, they’re paving the way for lasting change in how justice is served at the community level.
Cecilia Muñoz
Co-Chair, Frontline Justice; Co-Chair, National Community Justice Workers Task Force
Justice Brett Busby
Justice, Supreme Court of Texas; Co-Chair, National Community Justice Workers Task Force
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
Aras Jizan
Senior Program Officer at the Gates Foundation
Lucy Ricca
Executive Director of the Deborah L. Rhode Center on the Legal Profession
Margaret Hagan
Director of the Legal Design Lab at Stanford University
Betty Bali Torres
Executive Director of the Texas Access to Justice Foundation
Billy Shore
Founder and Executive Chair of Share Our Strength, No Kid Hungry Campaign
Jane Oates
Senior Policy Advisor and Former President of WorkingNation
Sherry Lachman
Founder and Executive Director, AugmentED
Verna Williams
CEO of Equal Justice Works
Christina Walsh
Institute for Justice’s Senior Director of Activism and Coalitions
Danielle Hirsch
Managing Director of the Court Consulting Division at the National Center for State Courts
Mioshi Moses
Vice President of Volunteer Programs at AARP Foundation
Charles H. DeBow, III
President and Chief Executive Officer, National Black Chamber of Commerce
John Bridgeland
Co-Chair
Leslie Frane
Executive Vice President, SEIU (Service Employees International Union)
Justice Melissa Hart
Justice, Colorado Supreme Court; Adjunct Professor, University of Colorado Law School and DU Sturm College of Law
Maha Jweied
CEO, Responsible Business Initiative for Justice
Rishi Manchanda, MD, MPH
CEO, HealthBegins
Dr. Robert Onders
Medical Director, Maniilaq Health Center
Rebecca Rapp
General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer, Ascendium Education Group, Inc.
Rebecca Sandefur
Co-Founder & Co-Chair
Radhika Singh
Vice President, Civil Legal Services and Strategic Policy Initiatives, National Legal Aid and Defender Association
Laura Vazquez
Director of Immigrant Integration at UnidosUS

Design Advisory Council

Our Design Advisory Council is made up of frontline advocates who bring a wealth of knowledge from working directly with communities. Their insights are shaping the tools and resources we’re creating, making sure they’re practical and genuinely helpful for justice workers in the field. These are the people who know what’s needed and what works. Their backgrounds stem from years of experience in the following organizations.

Key Partners

Our partners bring their unique expertise to make this project possible:
Our primary supporter, Ascendium, is committed to expanding access to justice. Their support enables us to bring real change to communities everywhere.
Education Design Lab guides us in building training frameworks that give justice workers the skills they need to serve their communities effectively.

Get Involved

Want to join us on this journey? Whether you’re looking to volunteer, stay updated, or support our work, we’d love to connect.
Are you a Community Justice Worker?
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