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22 Geo. J. on Poverty L. & Pol'y 453 (2014-2015)
The Current State of Access to Justice in the United States

handle is hein.journals/geojpovlp22 and id is 462 raw text is: Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law & Policy Volume XXII, Number 3, Spring 2015 SYMPOSIUM: RATIONING JUSTICE: ACCESS TO JUSTICE AND THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LEGAL SERVICES CORPORATION The Current State of Access to Justice in the United States James J. Sandman* I have three points to convey this morning. First, I will describe the state of access to justice across the United States today. Second, I will identify what I regard as the two greatest challenges to improving access to justice in our country. And third, I will offer several suggestions for addressing those challenges. My position as president of the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) gives me a bird's-eye-view of the state of access to justice in the United States. LSC is the country's single largest funder of civil legal aid programs. We fund 134 independent legal aid organizations with almost 800 offices serving every county in every state, and the territories as well. No matter where you are in the United States, there is an LSC-funded legal aid program providing assistance to low-income people. The state of access to justice in the United States today is not good. The need for assistance in civil cases among low-income people has never been greater. The population financially eligible for service at an LSC-funded program stands today at an all-time high-63.5 million people, fully twenty percent of the American population. The financial eligibility standard is strict: 125% of the federal poverty guideline. For an individual, that is an income of $14,713; for a family of four, it means an income of $30,313. As a general matter, if you make more than that, LSC-funded legal aid programs cannot help you. And there are many people who make more than those amounts who cannot possibly afford to pay for counsel. * President of the Legal Services Corporation since 2011. He practiced law with Arnold & Porter LLP from 1977 to 2007, serving as the firm's managing partner from 1995 to 2005. From 2007 to 2011, he was general counsel for the District of Columbia Public Schools. He is a member of the District of Columbia Access to Justice Commission and of the Pro Bono Institute's Law Firm Pro Bono Project Advisory Committee. Sandman previously served as chairman of the board of Whitman-Walker Health and as a member of the boards of the Neighborhood Legal Services Program of the District of Columbia.

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