Unequal Access to Justice
Many Legal Needs, Too Little Legal Assistance
People of lower income must deal with a broad array of laws and legal processes that directly impact their daily lives and often determine their very ability to survive. The Unequal Access to Justice: Many Legal Needs, Too Little Legal Assistance study, which builds on LSNJ’s earlier (1985 & 2002) research on legal needs, asks whether New Jersey adults with lower incomes are obtaining the legal assistance they need while facing civil legal problems. Results from the study’s survey of 2,846 adults, which also included a comparison with people of higher incomes, find that they are not. The study documents the legal assistance gap facing people of lower income in New Jersey, outlines principal policy implications for closing the civil legal assistance and justice gap, and points to areas where further research is needed.