CHICAGO, June 13, 2013 – The American Bar Association’s Access to Justice Commission Expansion Project has announced that it has awarded seven grants to state access to justice commissions to promote and support innovation in the delivery of civil legal aid. The projects are intended to be replicable in other states.

The recipients and projects funded are:

Arkansas Access to Justice Commission. Document assembly software for use in pilot assisted self-represented litigant clinics with attorneys working on a limited-scope basis.

Connecticut Access to Justice Commission. Outreach to expand donor base for new fellowship program placing new law school graduates in legal aid programs.

New Mexico Access to Justice Commission. Unified online legal aid intake system with the capacity to refer applicants to the appropriate provider and level of service necessary to deal with their problem (“triage”).

North Carolina Access to Justice Commission. Website with state-specific resource and referral information for veterans, and pro bono attorneys representing veterans.

Tennessee Access to Justice Commission. Pilot rural pro bono outreach projects to be established through faith-based organizations.

Vermont Access to Justice Coalition. Online referral tool from the state’s legal aid intake website to the Vermont Bar Association’s lawyer referral service, coordinated with the development of a panel of attorneys available to provide reduced-fee, limited scope representation.

Wyoming Access to Justice Commission. Pilot Skype-based remote law offices for civil legal aid at rural sites, as part of a broad redesign, coordination and expansion of the state’s legal aid delivery system.

The ABA Access to Justice Commission Expansion Project is funded by the Public Welfare Foundation and the Kresge Foundation. It is administered by the ABA Resource Center for Access to Justice Initiatives. The purpose of the project is to expand the number of state access to justice commissions, strengthen existing commissions, and promote innovative initiatives by commissions.

As of June 2013, there are access to justice commissions in 27 states and the District of Columbia. Access to Justice Commissions are formal entities that bring together the highest level of the state’s courts, organized bar, and other stakeholders to support the expansion of access to civil justice for low-income and disadvantaged people. Most of the commissions were created by the state’s supreme court. Several other state supreme courts are currently considering creation of a new commission.

Existing access to justice commissions have had a major impact in expanding support for self-represented litigants in the courts, increasing state-level funding for civil legal aid, developing new initiatives to increase pro bono services by attorneys, promoting collaboration and coordination among civil legal aid providers, building a commitment to pro bono and support for legal aid among law students and new lawyers, and increasing awareness among legislators and other key decision makers, the bar, the judiciary, and the general public about the legal needs of low-income and disadvantaged people and the social and economic benefits of ensuring that they do not go unmet.

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