This reports on self-represented litigants (SRL’s) in family and civil court in three Canadian provinces from 2011-2013 . It aims to dispel myths about SRLs including the perception that they choose to self represent because they believe themselves as capable as lawyers. It contains extensive recommendations.
Policymakers and Funders
Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation Economic Benefits Statement FY 2011
MLAC estimated that its services in FY2011 resulted in at least $27,730,837 in new federal revenue coming into Massachusetts and credits its grantees with winning an additional $25,486,914 in income and savings for clients and Massachusetts, for a total of $53,217,751.
Child Support Fact Sheet Series: Access to Justice Innovations
By: US Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Child Support Enforcement. Published in: June 2012 Link to resource Link to PDF This US Health and Human Services fact sheet identifies access to justice innovations as a critical component… Read More ›
2017 LSC Justice Gap Report
The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) contracted with NORC at the University of Chicago to help measure the justice gap among low-income Americans in 2017. LSC defines the justice gap as the difference between the civil legal needs of low-income Americans and the resources available to meet those needs.
The 2016 Biennial Report to Congress on the Effectiveness of Grant Programs Under the Violence Against Women Act
In response to the reporting requirements authorized by VAWA 2000, the 2016 biennial Report to Congress on the effectiveness of Grant funds under the Violence against Women act (2016 biennial Report) presents aggregate qualitative and quantitative data submitted by grantees of 23 currently and formerly authorized discretionary grant programs administered by the Office on Violence against Women (OVW). This report also presents current research on best practices to respond to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, sex trafficking, and stalking, which OVW uses to invest in proven strategies and solutions to further the common goal of ending domestic and sexual violence.
The Financial Cost and Benefits of Establishing a Right to Counsel in Eviction Proceedings Under Intro 214-A
Stout Risius Ross, Inc. conducted a cost / benefit analyses regarding the cost of City Council Intro 214-A, legislation that would establish a right to counsel in housing cases. The report concludes that New York City would realize a benefit from Intro 214-A of $320 million annually.
Understanding the Legal Problems of Renters
The Legal Education Foundation is a grant making trust that promotes legal education to help people better understand and use the law. This information is drawn from the study ‘How People Understand and Interact with the Law,’ in 2015. Their analysis is based on 4,000 interviews conducted for the English and Welsh Civil & Social Justice Panel Survey (CSJPS) in 2010 and 2012.
Documenting the Justice Gap in Pennsylvania
This report from the PA IOLTA Board and the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network (PLAN) documents the unmet need for civil legal aid in Pennsylvania in 2017. It was compiled in response to a recommendation of the Pennsylvania General Assembly that the IOLTA Board, working through PLAN, should collect data from the legal services programs on clients rejected for services to determine the actual unmet need for civil legal aid in Pennsylvania in order to better inform funding decisions.
The Opioid Crisis In America & the Role Medical-Legal Partnership Can Play In Recovery
This issue brief by the National Center for Medical-Legal Partnership supports the need for legal services in addressing the non-medical issues for legal clients with substance use disorders(SUD)on their road to recovery. Citing case studies of existing recovery-based MLPs in Ohio, Indiana, and Nevada, this paper provides a well-supported argument for the impact of lawyers as significant actors in combating the ongoing opioid crisis.
Upstream Advocacy: Addressing Cancer Survivors’ Employment Problems Through Medical-Legal Partnerships
This article reviews the cultural changes that affect cancer survivors at work, explains how their legal needs can impact their quality of life, and proposes that medical-legal partnerships are an ideal model to provide legal resources to underserved survivors to help them avoid and address negative employment consequences.
Legal Aid Research 