Nonprofit 501(c)(3), affiliated with Fordham Law School and other law schools, dedicated to policy reform that helps people obtain justice in the courts. Based in New York City.
Organization website
Primary geographic focus: NATIONAL, New York, STATE COMPARISONS
Organization type(s): Research/Policy/Organizing
Acronym or short name: NCAJ
Tags: Access to Justice
The National Center for Access to Justice is the academically affiliated national organization exclusively dedicated to policy reform that helps people obtain justice in the courts.
Our Constitution guarantees equal justice. Yet for too many people, courts are where they will lose their children, their homes, their life savings and their freedom — outcomes many of us would consider neither just, nor justly obtained. To enable people to secure the protection of the rule of law, whether to halt domestic violence, stop unlawful foreclosures and evictions, preserve family unity, claim wages and other employment protections, challenge unfair criminal prosecutions, and more, the National Center for Access to Justice works to make our courts more accessible and fair.
CONTENT MENTIONING/INVOLVING THIS SOURCE
News StoryCrowdfunding for public-interest lawsuits has come to the US, just in time for Trump’s presidency
Hanna KozlowskaQuartz
February 5, 2017
Individual contributions add up to cover legal fees, and CrowdJustice helps promote the issue online. The platform’s pitch is simple—justice should be accessible to anyone.
News Story
Domestic Violence Victims Could Lose Funding To Hire Lawyers Under Trump Budget
Josh KeefeInternational Business Times (IB Times)
March 16, 2017
President Donald Trump released his proposed 2018 federal budget Thursday, and among the many government agencies the budget would eliminate is the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), which helps fund legal representation for victims of domestic violence.
News Story
Trump’s Cuts to Legal Aid Programs Would Hurt Low-Income Texans
John BognaHouston Press
April 27, 2017
President Donald Trump's discretionary budget proposal for fiscal year 2018, released last week, would cut funding entirely from 19 organizations, including the Legal Services Corporation.
News Story
Focus on client outcomes, says new report on legal aid data
Jason TasheaABA Journal
June 20, 2018
A new report released Wednesday calls for civil legal aid to rethink how it uses data and tracks impact.
News Story
Legal Aid Funder Faces Existential Crisis Under Trump
RJ VogtLaw360
October 28, 2018
Following Donald Trump's election to the presidency, the LSC and its grantees face an existential crisis — for the first time since President Ronald Reagan left office, the executive branch has repeatedly called for LSC's elimination.
News Story
MacArthur ‘Genius’ Grant Spotlights Access To Justice Field
RJ VogtLaw360
October 28, 2018
For decades, the subject of legal aid, pro bono efficacy, alternatives to traditional representation and other legal access issues has suffered from a dearth of scholarship.
News Story
Legal Technicians Step In To Fight Justice Gap
Adam RhodesLaw360
November 18, 2018
Such programs are part of a broader movement attempting to reckon with "a spectrum of legal needs" that may not require an attorney, said David S. Udell.
News Story
Coronavirus could overwhelm legal help for America’s poor
Todd RugerRoll Call
March 31, 2020
Op-Ed
Law Schools Must Focus on Access to Justice
Jonathan Lippman, Matthew Diller, David UdellNational Law Journal
September 26, 2016
Fordham, Stanford and other institutions are working to lessen the legal system's limitations.
News Story
For Thousands, Civil Courts Are Out of Reach
Trevor BrownOklahoma Watch
September 20, 2016
Every month, thousands of Oklahomans show up in local courts on civil cases with no attorney representing them because they can’t afford the fees or aren’t aware that legal aid is available.
News Story
This is how we fight back: Race, big banks and a secret weapon for justice
Daniel DenvirSalon
May 19, 2016
There's a way to surprise the system and battle for your job, home and rights -- more people need to know about it
News Story
One More Way the Courts Aren’t Working for the Poor
Michelle ChenNation, The
May 16, 2016
There’s no right to indigent defense in civil cases—which means people living in poverty lose out.
News Story
how the High Cost of Justice Pushes the Poor Into Prison
Alice SperiIntercept, The
May 13, 2016
For poorer citizens, the cost of seeking justice often becomes so prohibitive they just give up.
News Story
There’s a devastating shortage of lawyers in the US who can help the poor with eviction or child custody cases
Hanna KozlowskaQuartz
May 12, 2016
The pitfalls of the American criminal justice system have vastly overshadowed the devastating effects on America’s poor of its civil justice counterpart.
News Story
Poor People Don’t Stand A Chance In Court
Bryce CovertThinkProgress
May 11, 2016
In theory, low-income Americans who need help with a civil case can turn to civil legal aid organizations. But there are so few of them that getting their help is a bit like winning the lottery.
News Story
New York State civil courts rank 22nd in access for poor
Zachary R. DowdyNewsday (NY)
May 11, 2016
New York’s civil courts rank 22nd in a survey of how well 50 states, the nation’s capital and Puerto Rico provide access to poor people, said a Manhattan-based center devoted to helping people obtain justice in the legal system.
News Story
How States Are Failing to Provide Justice for All
Jared KellerPacific Standard Magazine
May 11, 2016
With a patchwork, piecemeal system of civil legal aid, states are a long way from fulfilling the Constitution’s promise of “equal protection under the law.”
News Story
Access to Justice Best in D.C. and Massachusetts, Worst in Mississippi and Wyoming
Karen SloanNational Law Journal
May 10, 2016
The District of Columbia and Massachusetts rank the highest when it comes to access to justice, while Mississippi and Wyoming are at the bottom.
Blog Post
What to Do With Your Bonus
Susan BeckALM
December 22, 2015
Here's a suggestion for something else to do with a teeny-tiny sliver of that bonus money: Write a generous check to a civil legal aid group.
Letter to Editor
Turning U.N. Development Goals Into Reality
David Udell, Risa E. KaufmanNew York Times (NYT)
October 2, 2015
The United States championed the goals, including Goal 16. Now it can be a global leader in carrying them out by ensuring their impact at home.
Op-Ed
For criminal justice reform, look to civil legal aid
David UdellAl Jazeera America
September 5, 2015
Any reform on criminal justice will fall short unless our leaders recognize that being smart on crime requires being just as smart on civil justice.
News Story
There’s just one legal aid lawyer for every 8,893 low-income Americans who qualify for them
Rob WileFusion
June 29, 2015
A staggering statistic on the barriers to justice facing Americans.
Feature
The Justice Gap: How Big Law Is Failing Legal Aid
Susan BeckALM
June 29, 2015
An in-depth examination of law firms' lack of financial contributions to civil legal aid.
Editorial
Equal Justice Also Means Equal Access
Editorial Board of Jacksonville (Illinois) Journal CourierJacksonville (Illinois) Journal Courier
November 19, 2014
Equality in access to justice is vital, but in Illinois, the disparity appears to be significant, says this editorial.
News Story
Illinois Ranks 49th for How Court System Serves Disadvantaged
Dave CollinsAssociated Press (AP)
November 17, 2014
Illinois' court system had the third-worst score in the nation among state judiciaries in serving poor, disabled and other disadvantaged members of the public.
News Story
Hawaii Ranks Well in Access to Justice
Nancy Cook LauerWest Hawaii Today (Big Island)
November 15, 2014
Citing the access to justice commission and partnering with civil legal aid programs, Hawaii ranks high according to the recently updated Justice Index.
Letter to Editor
Expanding Legal Aid
David Udell, Ellen RosenthalNew York Times (NYT)
December 7, 2014
The Justice Index highlights best practices, which can help states replicate successful models adopted by their neighbors.
Letter to Editor
Expanding Legal Aid (Letter to the Editor)
David Udell, Ellen RosenthalNew York Times (NYT)
December 7, 2014
The Justice Index provides state-by-state information on efforts to meet vulnerable residents’ basic needs for legal assistance in the most critical civil actions involving child custody, shelter, safety, sustenance and health.
This page last modified: Thu, December 1, 2016 -- 3:37 pm ET