CONCLUSION

Closing the civil legal justice gap is essential to upholding the promise of fairness and equality. However, the 2024 California Justice Gap Study confirms that the state’s justice gap remains persistent, widespread, and deeply entrenched across all income groups. Despite significant investments, initiatives, and progress since the 2019 study, the research demonstrates that civil legal needs affect Californians at every income level and across diverse communities, including immigrants, individuals involved in the criminal justice system, and small business owners; the fundamental barriers identified five years ago—knowledge gaps and service gaps—continue to leave the majority of Californians without the legal help they need when facing significant civil legal problems.

At the same time, the supply of legal assistance remains constrained by many factors. First, the analysis of California’s legal market shows that most of California’s for-profit legal market now serves organizational clients, leaving fewer available for the PeopleLaw sector that addresses everyday legal issues for individuals. Second, geographic imbalances persist: Many California counties and rural areas are attorney deserts, with too few of California’s 196,000 active attorneys available to meet population needs. Third, pro bono participation remains limited—while many attorneys contribute, most do not meet recommended service levels, and many barriers to providing service exist. Fourth, legal aid organizations, bolstered by significant increases in funding, continue to expand services and achieve strong outcomes, yet unmet needs remain high. Finally, additional strategies to grow the supply of attorneys serving low- and modest-income Californians, including law student fellowships, legal incubators, and lawyer referral services, show promise but currently operate at a limited scale, underscoring the need for broader, sustained investment to ensure equitable access to legal help across California.

Meeting the civil legal needs of Californians requires more than just maintaining existing efforts—it demands a broader, more sustained, and strategic investment in the legal services infrastructure. Expanding public understanding of civil legal rights, strengthening legal aid and pro bono systems, fostering innovative models for affordable service delivery, and addressing geographic inequities will be critical to narrowing the justice gap. The State Bar remains committed to working with stakeholders across the legal system to implement the recommendations developed by the Legal Services Trust Fund Commission, ensuring that every Californian, regardless of income, geography, or circumstance, has meaningful access to the civil justice system.

For any questions or comments, please contact us at JusticeGapStudy@calbar.ca.gov.