Document Type
Report
Publication Date
8-2013
Abstract
Legal representation is fundamental to safeguarding fair, equal, and meaningful ac- cess to the legal system. Yet, in the United States, millions of people who are poor or low-income are unable to obtain legal representation when facing a crisis such as eviction, foreclosure, domestic violence, workplace discrimination, termination of subsistence income or medical assistance, and loss of child custody. Indeed, only a small fraction of the legal problems experienced by low-income and poor people living in the United States – less than one in five – are addressed with the assistance of legal representation. A categorical right to counsel in civil cases is not recognized under the federal Constitution. And federal programs to provide civil counsel are under-funded and severely restricted. The result is a crisis in unmet legal needs which disproportionately harms racial minorities, women and those living in poverty, and which particularly impacts those in immigration proceedings.
Recommended Citation
Human Rights Clinic,
Access to Justice: Ensuring Meaningful Access to Counsel in Civil Cases,
(2013).
Available at:
https://scholarship.law.columbia.edu/human_rights_institute/46