EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER LAW
IS A RIGHT, NOT A PRIVILEGE

AMERICANS NEED CIVIL JUSTICE REFORM
AND WE NEED IT NOW

In America, we grow up believing in justice for all. We believe people should get fair resolutions to problems that threaten their families, homes and livelihoods. But the reality is, wealth and power have the advantage in civil courts.

All Rise for Civil Justice is the campaign to fix our civil justice system so it works for everyone.

UNDERSTAND THE CRISIS

Stories from the Civil Justice Crisis

  • A New Beginning

    A survivor of domestic violence that lasted more than two decades, Kathy nearly lost her home to foreclosure after her husband left her with nothing. Legal Aid Chicago’s staff helped Kathy get the divorce and a loan modification to stop the foreclosure on her home.

    Watch the Video

  • Protecting One Family’s American Dream

    After six years living in the U.S. with Temporary Protected Status, Herbert was convicted of a traffic offense. He accepted the legal consequences of his action, and continued to renew his TPS every two years until 2013 when he was told it had been revoked due to his 2006 conviction. He also learned that there was an order for his deportation back to El Salvador. Herbert needed a lawyer, and he thought he’d hired one. But the notario had lied to him. She was not an attorney and was not qualified to handle the serious civil legal issues that needed addressing. Fortunately, Herbert found out about the Legal Aid Justice Center just in time.

    View the Photo Essay

  • Fighting for Our Veterans

    Bill, a Vietnam veteran, would have been homeless but for the help of the civil legal aid attorney at his local Department of Veterans Affairs medical center. At his lowest point, he abruptly lost his source of income, had no access to health care benefits, and was on the brink of losing his home. And then he met his lawyer Jon. Watch Bill’s story.

    Watch the Video

“Can there be justice if it is not equal? Can there be a just society when some do not have justice? Equality, equal treatment is perhaps the most fundamental element of justice.”

— Justice Antonin Scalia, United States Supreme Court

All Rise for Action!

We have to make the civil justice system work for everyone. Here’s how: