INTRODUCTION
A core component of the State Bar of California’s mission is a commitment to protect the public by enhancing access to and inclusion in the legal system. Access to legal help is a fundamental principle of the justice system. However, unlike in criminal proceedings, there is no right to an attorney in most civil matters, including those involving housing, employment, divorce, child custody, and domestic violence. Many Californians across all income levels navigate high-stakes civil legal issues without representation or adequate support. The consequences of going to court without legal representation can be severe and long-lasting, especially when critical needs such as housing, health care, employment, and family stability are at stake. This gap between legal needs and the ability to access meaningful assistance is known as the civil justice gap, and it undermines the justice system’s fairness.
In 2019, the State Bar conducted the first-ever comprehensive study of California’s justice gap to measure residents’ civil legal needs and the gap between those needs and the resources available to meet those needs. The 2019 California Justice Gap Study had several components, including a survey conducted in partnership with NORC at the University of Chicago. The survey found that over half of California households experienced a civil legal problem in the previous 12 months. However, Californians sought legal help for just 32 percent of their civil legal problems and received no or inadequate help for 85 percent. Moreover, the justice gap was observed across all income levels.
The study concluded that California’s justice gap was widespread, pervasive, and multifaceted, characterized by two dimensions: a gap in knowledge about how to access legal help and a gap in service—namely that California’s legal services delivery system cannot meet the legal needs of Californians. The final report contained a set of policy recommendations, several of which were adopted in subsequent years, such as the following:
- On January 1, 2022, the Business and Professions Code was amended to incorporate a new, higher income eligibility standard (from 125 to 200 percent of the federal poverty level) to qualify for free civil legal services.
- In 2023, the Legal Services Trust Fund Commission (LSTFC) began distributing the Legal Aid Leaders Fellowship grant to support legal aid organizations to pay law students a living wage during their summer internships.
- Driven by higher interest rates in recent years, increases to Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Account (IOLTA) income in 2023 and 2024—which the State Bar collected to distribute as legal aid grants in 2024 and 2025—enabled the LSTFC to offer multiyear budgeting to support long-term planning and provide a consistent funding base for grantees.
- The LSTFC’s discretionary grant selection criteria now incorporate a preference for projects that serve clients in underserved areas of the state, such as rural areas.
- The 2025 State Bar fee bill (signed in 2024) allows for the establishment of a partnership program between State Bar-certified Lawyer Referral Services (LRS) and nonprofit organizations to expand services to underserved Californians.
The 2024 California Justice Gap Study
The State Bar’s 2022-2025 Strategic Plan prioritizes expanding access to “high-quality, affordable, and culturally competent legal advice and services” for all California residents. As part of this commitment, the State Bar conducted a follow-up to its 2019 study on civil legal needs to assess what, if anything, has changed in the last five years.
The 2024 California Justice Gap Study explores the demand for civil legal assistance and the supply available to meet those demands. The following research was conducted to illuminate the demand for civil legal help:
- A survey of over 6,000 Californians, refined with stakeholder feedback to the 2019 study, was administered in partnership with NORC. The survey assessed civil legal needs and the extent to which they are met across all income groups—not just the lowest-income households. Barriers to legal help can affect Californians at every income level, and effective policy must be grounded in a comprehensive view of the statewide landscape.
- In-depth research was conducted into the distinct civil legal needs of immigrants, individuals involved in the criminal justice system, and California’s small business owners.[1]
The following research components were undertaken to assess the supply of legal assistance available to meet Californians’ civil legal needs:
- A commissioned study of California’s $57.8 billion legal market that focuses on understanding the PeopleLaw legal market (legal services provided to individuals and households seeking help with personal legal issues).
- An analysis of how shifts in California’s active attorney population and persistent attorney scarcity in some areas of the state, particularly rural areas, have led to increasing and widespread attorney deserts.
- An analysis of over 3,000 California attorneys’ responses to the 2023 American Bar Association’s pro bono survey that sheds light on the share of California attorneys that engage in pro bono work, how much time they contribute, and how these metrics have changed. Results also illuminate what factors drive or limit pro bono participation.
- An overview of the funding landscape for California legal aid organizations that receive grants to provide services to the state’s lowest-income residents.
- An exploration of targeted strategies intended to expand the pool of attorneys supporting access to justice.
The research revealed that California’s justice gap remains persistent and widespread, with most civil legal problems continuing to go unaddressed for most Californians with civil legal needs, regardless of income. The report concludes with recommendations that translate the study's research findings into actionable strategies to expand access to civil legal help.