Civil Legal Needs Study

Barriers to Justice: A 2018 study measuring the civil legal needs of low-income Oregonians.

With the support of the Oregon Department of Justice, the 2018 Civil Legal Needs Study was commissioned by the Oregon Law Foundation, Oregon State Bar, Oregon Judicial Department, Campaign for Equal Justice, Legal Aid Services of Oregon, and the Oregon Law Center to assess the current ability of low-income individuals to access the civil justice system. The researchers endeavored to gather reliable and useful data to help policy makers, legislators, agencies, funders, and legal aid service providers inform their investment and service decisions. Learn about the economic benefits of civil legal aid and immigration legal help in our Economic Impact Studies.

Read the Report

What Can I Do?

When we say the Pledge of Allegiance, we close with “justice for all.” We need programs like civil legal aid to ensure that the very principle our country’s founders envisioned remains alive: justice for all, not just for the few who can afford it.

1

Educate

Talk about the importance of access to justice. Let people know that civil legal aid is there for those who need help. Share this report. The information in this report is not widely known, and it is hard to solve problems that no one is talking about. Let’s amplify the conversation.

2

Speak Up

Oregon has broad bipartisan support for legal aid on both the state and federal levels. As a community, let’s continue our sustained focus on a fair and accessible legal system–a system where our neighbors can know their rights and get the help they need.

3

Fund Legal Aid

Legal aid is a state, federal, and private partnership. Legal aid receives funding from the State of Oregon, the federal government (via the Legal Services Corporation), private foundations, Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts (via the Oregon Law Foundation), and private donations (via the Campaign for Equal Justice). The single best way to increase access to justice is to create more legal aid attorney positions.

Documents

The Current Oregon Study

The Previous Oregon Study

Other Civil Legal Needs Studies