The final report from the American Academy of Arts & Sciences’ Making Justice Accessible project discusses the civil justice gap, current successes in the civil justice field, and a framework for securing civil justice for all Americans. The “Achieving Civil Justice: A Framework for Collaboration” report explores the potential of a “pluralistic and pragmatic” approach to civil justice. The report underscores the importance of programs and efforts that allow for listening and learning from underserved populations, providing legal help where people already are, leveraging innovative technology to make access easier, training to better support people with legal needs, and partnership-building with a view to expanding funding, resources, and innovation in the field.

The report identifies four ways to help improve access to civil justice:

• Organize civil justice efforts around the people seeking civil legal help
• Coordinate, connect, and participate with others working at the local, state, and national level to share best practices, scholarship, and emerging strategies
• Apply an evidence-based approach
• Make adjustments as projects evolve

The Academy of Arts & Sciences’ “Achieving Civil Justice: A Framework for Collaboration” report is available online here: https://www.amacad.org/publication/achieving-civil-justice.

Content for this post was gleaned from the final Achieving Civil Justice: A Framework for Collaboration report.