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The legal system is shutting Out millions of Americans.

Let’s be real: our nation may guarantee equal access to justice, but most people can’t afford to hire a lawyer. Meanwhile, so many basic legal rights—housing, healthcare, income assistance, education, and much more—are extremely difficult to access without help from someone who knows what they’re doing.
stats
context
Opportunity
Solution

Justice inequity by the Numbers

92%

of low-income Americans’ civil legal problems did not receive any or enough legal help

44%

of veteran households experienced 5 or more legal problems in the last year

70%

of seniors experienced 1 or more legal problems in the last year

It doesn't have to be this way.

Instead of making sure everyone can access legal help, the legal profession imposes rigorous and expensive requirements to become an attorney while pushing for laws that make it illegal for anyone but licensed lawyers to provide legal advice. The end result: an overwhelming majority of low-income Americans have unresolved civil legal issues— like evictions, custody disputes, protective orders, denied benefits, and debt issues. These non-criminal matters impact lives. Timely help is critical.

More lawyers won’t solve this problem. Despite a 400% increase in lawyers over five decades, 120 million legal problems go unaddressed each year. We need a community-focused solution to get legal help to the people who need it.

Like an Iceberg, Most Civil Justice Problems go Unseen
by Lawyers.

.Courts and lawyers see only 14%-24%.. ..of the public’s civiljustice problems..
.The remaining 76%-86% of civil..
..justice problems go unseen..
‍..by the justice system..
© Rebecca L. Sandefur 2022

Civil Justice Problems Threaten the basic needs of tens of millions of Americans.

In 2022, 75% of low- and moderate-income Americans experience a civil legal issue, an increase of 25 percentage points in the last 30 years. These issues are commonly related to debt for basic needs, healthcare, public benefits, and housing.

Yet the vast majority of these issues are not addressed. In fact, 120 million civil justice issues go unresolved every year. For low-income Americans, the problem is disproportionately worse; 92% of their civil legal needs were either unmet or inadequately met in 2021 (LSC, 2022).

Increases in funding and the lawyer workforce has not solved this justice gap. Since 2000, the number of lawyers has increased by 30%. Between 2017 and 2023, LSC-supported legal aid programs received a 31% increase in funding; the percent of under-addressed legal issues grew by 6 percentage points (Sandman, 2023).

A different approach is needed.

The solution already exists—we just need to unlock it.

Americans are industrious. As is too often the case, when our needs aren’t met, the community steps in to fill the void.

That’s exactly how the community justice worker movement started. Several states have carved out exceptions that allow a new category of legal workers who aren’t lawyers to help others navigate civil legal issues after receiving targeted training.

Across the country, these community justice workers are helping thousands of people resolve everyday legal challenges with timely and practical assistance.

While community justice workers are transformational, it’s not a new concept. Just like paramedics, nurses, and home aides have expanded access to basic health needs, justice workers can do the same for the justice system.

Justice workers are a movement to transform what legal help looks like.

The time to act is now. As several early-adopting states are implementing community justice worker programs with significant success, many more are considering policy changes that would authorize community justice workers to help address the access to justice crisis.

That’s why, Frontline Justice is mobilizing community helpers and transforming them into a national workforce that’s equipped with the skills to tackle people’s festering legal challenges. Through research, policy advocacy, and public education, Frontline Justice is also fighting to remove rules and barriers that prevent more qualified go-to community helpers from offering life-changing legal services.
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