SAVE THE DATE! The 2008 National Meeting of State Access to Justice Chairs will take place in Minneapolis on FRIDAY, May 9, in conjunction with the 2008 Equal Justice Conference, scheduled for May 7-9 (Wednesday-Friday).
Over 130 leaders from 42 states and the District of Columbia participated in the 2007 meeting in Denver. 2007 meeting materials and information.
Access to Justice and legal aid funding top issues for Pennsylvania Lawyers taking their case to Capitol Hill (5/5/08)
California Access to Justice Commission to celebrate its 10th anniversary with symposium on
The Future of Access to Justice in California: Developing a Vision for the Next Decade
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. (4/23/08)
South Carolina Access to Justice Commission launches series of local hearings on barriers to justice. (3/13/08)
North Carolina Bar Association continues year-long 4All campaign, under leadership of President Janet Ward Black, with "Ask A Lawyer" day. (4/4/08)
North Carolina Bar Journal highlights Access to Justice. (3/15/08)
New York State Bar Association convenes conference on Creating a Blueprint for a Civil Right to Counsel in New York. (3/11/08)
New Hampshire Access to Justice Commissions launches new web site. The site serves as home page for the Commission and provides links to legal aid programs, a self-help center, and information about the state courts. (3/1/08)
Pro Bono Institute offers grants for Second Acts pilot projects, supporting retired attorneys working in public interest organizations serving low-income communities. (3/1/08)
ABA President William H. Neukom calls for ABA members to lobby Congress for increased federal legal aid funding in President's Message in February ABA Journal. (2/1/08)
Poverty Benchmarks 2008: Assessing New Jersey’s Progress in Addressing Problems of Inadequate Income documents key poverty trends and examines selected anti-poverty programs. (2/15/08)
National Technology Assistance Project (NTAP) offers Practical Steps to Protecting Your Legal Aid Organization from Cyber Piracy, to help legal aid programs protect identities from misuse by fraudulent legal aid organizations. (2/15/08)
Louisiana State Bar Association House of Delegates adopts resolution supporting programs, rules and policies assisting self-represented litigants. Article. (1/17/08)
Chicago Bar Foundation creates leadership circle of law firms subscribing to
statement of principles
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for supporting pro bono and legal aid. (2/1/08)
Maine State Bar Association Annual Meeting features half-day Access to Justice Symposium, led by state Supreme Court Justice Jon D. Levy, newly elected chair of the Maine Justice Action Group. Former Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice Herbert Wilkins, Chair of the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission, delivers keynote address. (1/31/07)
Arizona report, Voicing a Need for Justice, a Report on Legal Aid Access, documents justice gap and lack of awareness of legal assistance and makes recommendations to address problems. (2/1/08)
State Bar of Texas awards prizes in YouTube video contest, Lone Star Stories: Texans on Justice. (1/25/08)
South Carolina State Bar Convention features Texas Supreme Court Justice Harriet O’Neill as keynote speaker on Access to Justice issues. (1/25/08)
By order of the state Supreme Court, Louisiana has become the 18th state to adopt an IOLTA comparability rule. (1/15/08)
Montana Self-Help Law Program
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up and running with new staff and two courthouse self-help centers open for business. (1/5/08)
Technology Committee of Texas Access to Justice Commission
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, made up of chief information officers of leading law firms, working pro bono, assesses technology needs and develops plan for legal aid offices; Texas Access to Justice Foundation purchases equipment for programs. (12/19/07)
Missouri becomes second state to adopt disaster court rule, allowing out-of-state lawyers to practice on a pro basis following a disaster, based on ABA model rule. (12/17/08)
South Carolina Access to Justice Commission
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, chaired by Chief Justice Jean Hoefer Toal, schedules series of eight hearings around the state, to culminate in hearing before state Supreme Court. (12/15/07)
"And Then There Were Five"
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: Wisconsin Lawyer article by Wisconsin State Bar Executive Director George C. Brown describes how Wisconsin joined the ranks of states that provide state legislative funding for legal aid. (Only five states currently do not). (12/15/07)
New York courts convene
"A Conversation About Justice Issues in Rural New York: Planting the Seeds for Collaborations and Partnerships." (12/1/07)
Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia
extends indefinitely term of District of Columbia Access to Justice Commission
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. The Commission was originally created by the Court in February 2005 for an initial three-year term. (10/9/07)
New in the Resource Center library: materials on the economic benefit of legal aid. (12/1/07)
Washington State Supreme Court rules against civil right to counsel in closely watched King v. King case. ABA Journal article with links to opinions. (12/6/07)
Maryland joins states with IOLTA enhancement provisions as Court of Appeals adopts comparability rule. Article.
(12/3/07)
Pennsylvania Bar Association House of Delegates adopts
resolutions supporting civil right to counsel, increase in funding for civil legal aid. (11/30/07)
Senior Citizen Right to Counsel bill
(pdf, 97 Kb)
filed in New York City Council. New York Times article. (11/16/07)
New Hampshire Access to Justice Commission profiled. (11/25/07.
Local hearings convened by Colorado Access to Justice Commission conclude with hearing in Denver at Supreme Court.
Summary of hearings
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.
Audiotape of Denver hearing. (11/14/07)
Alabama Supreme Court increases pro hac vice fee for practice by out of state lawyers to $300 to benefit legal aid. (11/8/07)
New report,
Achieving Access to Justice
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, finds 80 percent of poor and moderate income residents unable to obtain legal help when they need it. The report come from the Access to Justice Hui, members of which include the Judiciary, the State Bar Association, the Justice Foundation, legal aid providers, and the University of Hawaii, and includes a 10-step plan to increase access to justice. (11/7/07)
Rationing Justice: Poverty Lawyers and Poor People in the Deep South, by Kris Shepard, documents the history of legal services programs in Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia in the 1960s and 70s. (11/1/07)
ABA Section of Litigation Justice Assistance Fund grants of up to $10,000 available to help legal services programs build private bar fundraising capacity. Application form. (12/10/07)
NLADA issues report addressing legal aid recruitment and retention crisis. (11/7/07)
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