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7 Harv. L. & Pol'y Rev. 13 (2013)
New York's Template to Address the Crisis in Civil Legal Services

handle is hein.journals/harlpolrv7 and id is 13 raw text is: New York's Template to Address the Crisis in Civil Legal Services Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman* We are facing a crisis in the delivery of justice in New York State and around the country. There is a growing justice gap between the dire need for civil legal services and the dwindling resources available. In the face of our nation's worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, millions of vulnerable, low-income individuals navigate our state civil justice systems without lawyers. This lack of representation impairs their ability to pursue their rights and remedies, imposes tremendous costs on both litigants and their families, and places an untenable burden on our courts and communities. In the midst of this gathering storm, it has been my central objective as New York's Chief Judge to confront the acute need for civil legal assistance in our state. Declining and unpredictable funding streams and rising poverty rates have made this effort all the more urgent. It is my belief that New York's Judiciary, with the support of our partners in government and the legal community, has begun to address the justice gap that exists in New York and that the combination of approaches we have taken may serve as a template for action elsewhere. New York's course of action began with my decision to hold hearings and to create the Task Force to Expand Access to Civil Legal Services in New York State. The results of both the hearings and the Task Force's study illuminated the extent of the need for legal services and enabled the Task Force to develop informed recommendations for action. Principal among these recommendations was a substantial increase in public funding for civil legal services, something New York has been able to achieve in spite of deep cuts to the Judiciary's budget. This fiscal year, our judiciary budget includes $40 million for civil legal services. New York's approach to addressing the crisis combines public funding with court programs to assist unrepresented litigants, online resources, outreach and education, programs to encourage and support pro bono service by members of the bar, and, most recently, a requirement that all applicants to the New York Bar perform fifty hours of pro bono service before they are admitted to practice. By exercising a lead- ership role and by engaging with other branches of government, New York's Judiciary has taken significant steps towards meeting the deep need for civil legal services. Chief Judge of the State of New York and Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals. 'See S.B. 6251, 2012 Leg., 235th Legis. Sess. § 2 (N.Y. 2012) (enacted), available at http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/s6251b-2011 (including $25 million in funding for civil legal services and $15 million for Interest on Lawyer Account Fund (IOLA) support).

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