Justice for All in Louisiana
Working together to expand access to civil justice
While recent events have made all Americans aware of access to healthcare in this country, our awareness of the importance of access to civil legal aid, which can conceivably have as great an impact on individuals, is less familiar to most. Especially in times of crisis, civil legal aid stabilizes individuals, families, and entire communities by improving economic security and increasing access to basic necessities like housing, healthcare, government benefits, and disaster services.
Money and time invested in access to civil legal resources is not only good for humanity, its benefits are multiplied many times over for the financial good of the state. In fact, every $1.00 invested in civil legal aid supports Louisiana through a social return on investment of $9.18. [ Source ]
So investment is a wise move, but applying resources to accomplish our goal of equal access to justice for all requires an understanding of the community's needs, where resources are located, and what challenges lie ahead.
Here we map the data on demographics and services in order to present opportunities for working together to expand access to justice for all.
Click on a parish in the following maps to learn more. Click and drag to move the map if pop-up content is hidden.
A staggering 40% of Louisiana's population earn incomes below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level.
As the 4th most impoverished state in the nation, Louisiana has 1,789,925 people that are potentially eligible for free civil legal aid.
For reference, a family of 4 at this level would earn an annual income of $52,400 or less.
Even though Louisiana has 4 law schools and nearly 20,000 registered attorneys, only 150 full-time attorneys are devoted to serving low-income and marginalized populations.
That means there is just 1 legal aid attorney for every 11,250 people who are income-eligible.
Here we show the areas where one can reach a civil legal aid office within a 45-minute drive.
Despite this ratio, our legal aid network has an incredible impact.
According to the Louisiana Bar Foundation's most recent Economic Impact Study, our network of legal service partners provided nearly $65 million in social economic benefits in FY 2019-2020 alone. Dollar for dollar, that's a 918% return on investment.
This map shows that between 2015 - 2019, our major legal aid organizations opened over 60,000 civil legal aid cases.
To expand capacity, a system of self-help centers provides in-person access to legal resources and knowledgeable staff.
These centers serve thousands of individuals each year.
Law libraries also provide access to collections, technology, personal services, and referrals to legal and social service organizations.
When we look at these resources together, people living in these civil legal resource areas have access to in-person help at either a civil legal aid office, law library, or self-help center within a 45-minute drive.
This means that the areas reflected here are more than a 45-minute drive from in-person civil legal help, making them our civil legal resource deserts.
This accounts for 60% of the state's land area and 34% of the population below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level.
Our challenge is how to best reach the more than 600,000 people living in these areas and who are potentially eligible for civil legal aid.
In many cases, the most impoverished parishes are also the most under-served -- hit hardest by lack of legal access.
This map shows parishes with the highest rates of poverty below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level and the areas where civil legal resources exist within a 45-minute drive.
Not only are the areas outside of our civil legal resources areas the poorest, they also have the least access to internet in the home.
To bridge the gap in access to civil legal resources we could . . .
Expand access to in-person help by adding self-help centers, navigators, or courtroom assistants at each courthouse, drastically increasing civil legal resource area.
Build a stronger culture of limited scope representation across the state through programs such as the Modest Means Program .
Create access to online and in-person services with community partners across the state such as:
The Challenge Ahead
Louisiana Access to Justice stakeholders have laid a remarkable foundation for access to civil justice in Louisiana. A spectrum of services - from self-help to full legal representation - help people in crisis navigate Louisiana's complicated legal system. But still, challenges remain.
Limited resources and a disproportionate share of attorneys mean providers can only address a fraction of the total civil legal need. People eligible for civil legal services experience extreme poverty and low internet access, limiting their ability to access resources online or in person.
Ultimately, the data show there is no "one size fits all" approach. Each region has its own unique challenges. To build an accessible network of civil legal resources, we must seize the opportunity to meet people where they are, bringing them a wide array of services. A thoughtful combination of strategically-placed access points, innovative business models, and radical collaboration will bring us closer to a future with access to justice for all. Stay tuned as we turn these insights into action through strategic planning.
How you can help
Share your story. Do you have thoughts on how to improve access to civil justice in Louisiana? Have you experienced a civil legal issue or used civil legal aid services? We would love to hear from you. You can share your thoughts and experience via our Justice for All Survey.
Spread the word. Spreading the word about civil legal aid helps government, private industry, and individuals in need understand the importance and role of civil legal aid. Help us spread the word by sharing this story map with your networks.
Get involved. Getting involved in Louisiana's access to justice movement takes several forms. You can donate , get connected to the Louisiana Access to Justice Commission , or help us draw important insights by suggesting or sharing new data sources. You can also view our Webapp Map to discover your own insights. Let us know what you find!
Whichever you choose, we're grateful for your support of our mission:
