Access to Justice in New York City

In the Summer 2008 issue of the American Bar Association's Judges Journal, Legal Services NYC Director of Communications and Government Relations Edwina Frances Martin details the challenges faced by the twenty percent of New Yorkers who live in poverty with little to no access to the justice system.

Issues of access to justice in New York City are, in many ways, at a critical juncture. Indeed, a host of studies on the availability of legal resources tells the story of the desperate circumstances of the poor in New York and in the United States. Nationwide, there is one legal services attorney for every 6,861 low-income persons. For the general population, there is one lawyer for every 525 persons. It is estimated that only twenty percent of the legal needs of low-income Americans are now being met.

Edwina goes on to address four critical arenas entered by Legal Services NYC in recent years: efforts to guarantee a civil right to counsel, efforts to address predatory lending and collection practices, efforts to address language barriers, and efforts to preserve affordable housing. 

Click here to read the full article (PDF).