Increasing Access to Justice through Community Justice Workers: A Proposal
The Legal Aid Association of California convened a working group of leaders from California’s legal services organizations to explore the potential for a Community Justice Worker (CJW) program.
The group was co-led by Legal Link and OneJustice, with advice and support from Stanford Law School’s Deborah L. Rhode Center on the Legal Profession and Frontline Justice. The group focused on expanding the reach and impact of nonprofit legal services organizations to extend and expand on their work for the lowest-income Californians, a model we have seen work in other states.
We are thrilled to share the collaborative proposal, Increasing Access to Justice through Community Justice Workers: A Proposal.
The proposal, if implemented, would allow nonlawyer staff and community members, with training and attorney supervision, to independently do discrete, pre-authorized, and limited scope legal procedures for which there is a deep and unmet need. The proposal describes a framework for California legal services organizations to certify individual Community Justice Workers who can serve clients in need under the supervision of legal services attorneys.
The working group is hopeful that the proposal offers an opportunity for legal services organizations to continue to innovate and provide deeply needed services in a safe and measured way for organizations, community justice workers, and clients. We look forward to engaging in discussions with interested legal services organizations and stakeholders across the state to move the proposal forward.
While we are excited about the potential impact of this proposal, we know there is still much work to be done. We invite feedback, thoughts, and ideas from the broader legal services community and stakeholders to help refine and strengthen this initiative.
Together, we can continue to innovate and expand access to justice for all Californians.
