RECOMMENDATIONS
Grounded in findings from the 2024 California Justice Gap Study, the following recommendations were developed in collaboration with the Legal Services Trust Fund Commission (LSTFC) and attend to both the supply and demand features of the justice gap. The list includes several recommendations to increase the availability and efficiency of civil legal services through various means (attorney engagement, cross-sector collaboration, increased funding, and technology) while encouraging public outreach and education. Perhaps most importantly, it identifies several areas for further data collection and analysis to better inform and target efforts to decrease the justice gap.
IMMIGRATION LEGAL NEEDS
Immigration Legal Needs: Data Collection
Collect data from State Bar-funded legal aid organizations on common problems that overlap with immigration legal needs (e.g., housing, employment). Measure when immigration was the initial or chief, versus a secondary, issue to better identify and target appropriate interventions.
Immigration Legal Needs: Accredited Representatives
Continue advocating for increased availability of immigration legal services in underserved counties through expansion of the Department of Justice’s Recognition and Accreditation Program.
LEGAL AID
Intake Census
Update and administer the State Bar grantee intake census every two to three years. Analyze the results to illuminate trends, understand challenges to providing services, and advocate for appropriate supports for expanding and targeting services to areas of greatest need.
Artificial Intelligence and Legal Aid
Develop guidance and promote responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) and automated processes across all aspects of legal practice, particularly among legal aid providers, to increase efficiencies and expand services to more Californians in need of legal help.
Legal Aid Leaders Fellowship Support
Establish permanent and increased funding for the Legal Aid Leaders Fellowship (LALF) program to support the career pipeline from law school to legal aid and to study cohort career outcomes. Consider additional pipeline supports, such as bridge fellowships for those who have completed the LALF to aid in their bar exam preparation and multiyear fellowships for attorneys in their first years of practice.
PRO BONO SERVICES
Pro Bono: Attorney Data
Analyze attorney pro bono data, including practice area and location of attorneys, to inform future pro bono initiatives designed to increase volunteerism in the profession.
Pro Bono: Partnerships and Engagement
Partner with legal aid organizations, California law schools, and other key stakeholders to conduct a pro bono education and engagement campaign:
- Target specific audiences (law firms, law schools, local and affinity bar associations, incubator programs, etc.).
- Raise awareness of the justice gap, pro bono ethical responsibility, and the California Pro Bono Portal.
- Encourage attorneys to provide pro bono services through organized legal aid and pro bono programs which afford attorneys key support including pre-screening clients, training, mentorship, and malpractice insurance.
- Encourage California law schools to develop or expand training/curriculum on access to justice, emphasizing the importance of pro bono services for all law students.
- Enhance pro bono programs and opportunities (required or otherwise).
LAWYER REFERRAL SERVICES
Legal Aid, Pro Bono, and Lawyer Referral Services (LRS) Partnerships and Remote Services
Explore partnerships between lawyer referral services and legal aid and pro bono programs as a means to increase pro bono work and facilitate referrals. Leverage those partnerships to provide services to underserved areas of the state through virtual/remote means (e.g., video consultations, email, etc.).
LRS Data Collection
Amend applicable State Bar rules to require LRS programs to collect and report data on modest means program participation and outcomes to inform future policy and partnership efforts.
Public Defenders and LRS Partnerships
Include public defender offices in the recently authorized LRS partnership program to better address the complex civil legal needs of individuals involved in the criminal justice system.
Small Business Outreach and LRS Partnerships
Launch an educational campaign centered on the legal needs of small business owners and include the needs of small business owners in development of the planned LRS partnership program.
ADDITIONAL DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Attorney Deserts: Increasing Representation
Analyze attorney census data to gauge interest in and understand the barriers to practicing in rural parts of the state, as a precursor to initiatives aimed at increasing attorney representation in these areas.
Legal Incubator Program Outcomes
Collect data regarding participant career outcomes at established intervals to determine impact on the availability of services for low- to moderate-income clients and identify which models are most supportive and relevant for future practice.