September 26th, 2019
Based on the findings and recommendations of a Legal Market Landscape Report commissioned in 2018, the State Bar of California’s governing board appointed a Task Force on Access Through Innovation of Legal Services (“ATILS”) and assigned it to identify possible regulatory changes to remove barriers to innovation in the delivery of legal services by lawyers and others.
The ATILS Task Force developed and released 16 concept options for potential regulatory changes that were open for public comment until September 24. At this time, OneJustice does not support or oppose these recommendations. We encourage the inclusion of legal aid providers and low-income Californians at every phase of the process and hope they continue to have a seat at the table as these recommendations develop.
The changes proposed by the Task Force have the potential of lowering the justice gap and opening the legal system to individuals that previously would have lived with no solution to their legal issues. However, these changes, if improperly designed and implemented, also have the potential of widening the justice gap and having little positive impact on increasing access to justice for low-income Californians. OneJustice believes that if the legal community works together to develop these regulations and changes, society can benefit greatly, but that development must be done with all Californians in mind and with participation from everyone who will be impacted by these proposed changes. If these proposals are truly meant to have an impact on access to justice issues, we must see proper support systems in place to ensure that low-income Californians are protected, and that the proposals do not unduly burden those providing the services.
OneJustice plans to continue monitoring the Task Force’s actions and remain engaged as these policies and recommendations begin to take shape.