ACCESS TO JUSTICE COMMISSION | UPDATE
Closing the Justice Gap: WHY ALLIED LEGAL PROFESSIONALS ARE A NATURAL EVOLUTION FOR MARYLAND’S LEGAL LANDSCAPE
BY REENA SHAH, ESQ.
AS LEGAL PROFESSIONALS, we are intimately familiar with the complexities of the justice system and the profound impact that competent representation has on case outcomes. Yet, we are currently facing a stark reality: in roughly 75% of the 20 million civil cases filed in state courts across the United States each year, at least one side lacks a lawyer. In Maryland alone, this translates to approximately 571,343 civil cases annually where a party navigates a civil legal matter unrepresented. The stakes in these cases are incredibly high. Navigating complex legal systems without representation means Marylanders may lose their homes, custody of their children, or access to life-saving public benefits. To address this growing crisis, the Innovations in Tiered Legal Services Task Force—a collaborative initiative between the Maryland Judiciary, the Maryland State Bar Association (MSBA), and the Maryland Access to Justice Commission (A2JC)—has been rigorously examining how our state can meet the needs of those left behind by the current market. MARYLAND BAR JOURNAL | VOLUME 7 ISSUE 3
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