ACCESS TO JUSTICE: ONLINE RESOURCES FOR BRIDGING THE JUSTICE GAP

Last fall, the Obama administration established the White House Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable or LAIR, a federal initiative designed to close the justice gap for those in need of legal assistance. Subsequently, the Access To Justice movement has been gaining momentum and garnering the attention of both state and local governments as well as the national media. In addition to this effort, a number of other organizations have taken up the cause for those in need. Among these organizations are the following:

Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)

The Justice Index (2016)

LegalAidResearch.org

National Center for Access to Justice

National Equal Justice Library

National Legal Aid and Defender Association

Voices for Civil Justice

White House Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable Toolkit

Miranda Monday: National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel

“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you? With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?”

These are the basic rights afforded to all Americans arrested for a criminal act. Once requested, an attorney must be provided before any further questioning can proceed. This is not the case, however, when the legal matter is civil in nature. Neither the Courts nor the Constitution guarantee one's right to legal representation in most matters related to child custody, eviction, probate, divorce, immigration, or any number of other civil or family issues. Organizations like the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel are calling attention to the increasingly dire need for legal representation in civil cases. Everyone will require the services of a lawyer at some time in his or her life, and access to legal counsel should not be impeded by an inability to afford representation.