At a Glance
ATJ Commissions and legal aid providers can work jointly to ensure that the legal aid system functions well. This page's resources provide background and insight on some issues affecting the legal aid infrastructure.
Justice for All
In 2015, the Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ) and the Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA) jointly passed a resolution setting an aspirational goal of justice for all. The Resolution assumes a robust legal aid infrastructure and funding. To read the resolution, click here.
The community is now working on responses to the concept of justice for all and several jurisdictions are beginning to take up the Chief Justices' challenge to develop "a strategic plan with realistic and measurable outcomes" to meet the "aspirational goal of 100 percent access to effective assistance for essential civil legal needs."
The Public Welfare Foundation recently announced the Justice for All project, which will be housed at the National Center for State Courts. The project will support efforts by the states to include all relevant stakeholders in the civil justice community in a partnership to better understand, adopt, and move toward implementation of the resolution. More information about this an be found on the Justice for All microsite linked here.
Related Resources
ABA Resources
- Pie Chart: Civil Legal Aid Providers by Program Type
- ABA Principles of a State System for the Delivery of Civil Legal Aid (2006)
- ABA Standards for the Monitoring and Evaluation of Providers of Legal Services to the Poor (2002)
- State Self-Assessment Tool: Principles of a State System for the Delivery of Civil Legal Aid (2006)
State-produced Resources on Legal Aid Delivery
- Proposed Strategies for Using Performance Standards for Legal Aid in the State of Washington (2010)
- Improving Civil Justice in Rural California, California Commission on ATJ (2010)
- State Plan for Providing Legal Aid to Low Income New Mexicans(2007)
Attorney Recruitment/Retention
- Legal Aid Attorney Salary Data - NALP (survey done every even-numbered year)
- Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAP)
History
- "Securing Equal Justice: A Brief History of Civil Legal Assistance in the U.S." Center for Law & Social Policy (2013)
- History of Civil Legal Aid - National Legal Aid & Defender Association