There are solutions to fix our civil justice system and make it work for all Americans—from technology to cross-sector partnerships. You have a role to play.
Solutions for the Crisis
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Share Your Story
If you’ve experienced a civil justice problem (for example, a threat of eviction, a suspicious demand for debt collection, or a disagreement about child custody), you’re not alone – and we want to hear from you. Share your story and join the campaign to fix our civil justice system so it works for everyone.
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Explore Storytelling Resources
Reforming our civil justice system requires elevating the stories of people it hurts so no one can ignore everyday civil justice problems and solutions to them. Check out our digital storytelling toolkit to help you better tell the stories of people affected by the civil justice system.
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Find the Untold Stories
Working on a story for media about a civil justice problem? Interested in telling one? Connecting with clients, lawyers, and advocates is the place to start. To find the civil justice angle and get connected to a source, click here to send us a note.
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Knowledge
Too often, people don’t get help with their civil justice problems because they don’t know their problem is legal in nature and may have a legal solution. Online legal information, court forms in plain language, and self-help centers all reduce the knowledge barriers. Educating policymakers and human service providers, training for judges and pro bono lawyers, and data collection and research are also key knowledge solutions.
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Partnership
Community partners – libraries, schools, health care and human service providers, and government agencies – are increasingly on board with and proving essential to holistic approaches that resolve the civil justice problems of people they serve. View graphics >
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Policy
Modernizing and simplifying court processes, updating law practice rules, and ensuring a right to counsel in high-stakes civil cases are all examples of the many policy reforms needed to make civil courts fairer and more accessible. View graphics >
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Technology
Online dispute resolution, self-help websites and apps, online screening and referral, video-based consultation, and other technology innovations can transmit life-changing information faster and more inclusively than ever before. These innovations are balancing the scales of civil justice. View graphics >
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Funding
Even after court processes have been modernized, there will be many people who need full-scale representation in order to resolve their serious legal problems. Right now, federal funding for the Legal Services Corporation is only $415 million – less than Americans spend each year on Halloween costumes for their pets. Adequate funding must come from both government and private sources. View graphics >