This report analyzes how disasters have disproportionately struck rural parts of California. These areas often have higher poverty rates than urban ones, and are typically the slowest to recover from disasters. During disaster and recovery, low-and modest-means communities often do not have access to legal remedies, meaning that recovery is often uneven. This report outlines how legal aid and pro bono assistance help residents in areas of housing, consumer issues, employment, insurance, public benefits, replacing vital records and documents, and accessing FEMA benefits.
Legal Aid Practitioners
Clearing a Path to Justice: A Report of the Maryland Judiciary Work Group on Self-Representation in the Maryland Courts
This report outlines the work group’s efforts and study on self-represented litigants in Maryland. It provides an overview of the current efforts, initiatives, and recommendations on how to aid self-represented litigants, enhance the response of court staff, enhance the judicial response, support improvements in the legal services delivery system, and create an access to justice commission.
A 108% return on investment: The Economic Impact to the State of North Carolina of Civil Legal Services in 2012
The work of three civil legal services providers across North Carolina generated $48,775,276 in economic impact in 2012.
California’s Attorney Deserts: Access to Justice Implications of the Rural Lawyer Shortage
In this study, the California Commission on Access to Justice reports on attorney deserts — places where there are too few attorneys and high numbers of unmet legal needs. They find that attorney deserts are an acute problem in rural areas. This is not a problem concentrated in California — in the US, approximately 2 percent of small law practices are in rural places, serving approximately 20 percent of the US population.
The Attorney As the Newest Member of the Cancer Treatment Team
In this study, researchers profile LegalHealth, a free legal services program that works alongside health care providers in cancer care. Because oncologists often discuss insurance, employment, and financial concerns at first diagnosis and then later on, advanced planning (e.g., health care proxies, advance directives, etc.), they are in a prime position to partner with legal services. In this article, the researchers profile the benefits to patients, families and care partners, as well as benefits to providers and to the health care institution.
Adding by Subtracting: How Limited Scope Agreements for Dispute Resolution Representation Can Increase Access to Attorney Services
In this article, the author provides an overview of the problems facing self-represented litigants and how limited scope agreements and unbundled services can help those litigants. She shows how alternative dispute resolution and limited scope representation work together.
A Medical-Legal Partnership as a Component of a Palliative Care Model
In this evaluation, researchers reviewed program referral and outcomes over three years from an MLP. They found that through the legal services component of the MLP, they overturned 17 benefit denials and the institution received $923,188 for current and past health services.
Nonlawyer Navigators in State Courts: An Emerging Consensus
Researchers at The Justice Lab at Georgetown Law Center surveyed the current national landscape of nonlawyer navigators. They identified and analyzed 23 programs in 15 states and the District of Columbia. The report is based on extensive outreach and interviews with more than 60 informants who created, oversee or manage nonlawyer navigator programs in court settings. The report describes program features and offers practical considerations for creating and implementing such programs.
Evaluation of the Guardian Ad Litem System in Nebraska
In many child dependency cases in Nebraska, the court will appoint a guardian ad litem to advocate for the child. The researchers evaluated five counties in Nebraska. They find that there is a lack of clarity for guardian ad litems, guardians were satisfied with their caseloads, a majority believed their compensation was inadequate, and most of the guardians believed they received insufficient training.
Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women and Men
This research article uses the 2010 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence survey to examine levels of sexual abuse, physical violence, stalking, and verbal abuse of American Indian and Alaskan Native women and men by their intimate partners.
Legal Aid Research 