A Call for Action To Increase the Provision of Legal Services for Unrepresented Civil Litigants in Our Federal Courts (New York Law Journal)
New York Law Journal, September 20, 2019
A Call for Action To Increase the Provision of Legal Services for Unrepresented Civil Litigants in Our Federal Courts
Co-Authored by Lynn Kelly, City Bar Justice Center Executive Director
“Nevertheless, to date, federal courts in only ten states have active legal assistance clinics or programs addressing the legal needs of unrepresented civil litigants. The federal courts in New York are among the leaders in this area. In 2014, the University of Buffalo School of Law and the Erie County Volunteer Lawyers Project launched a program with the Western District of New York. The Eastern District began supporting programs run by the New York City Bar Justice Center and the Maurice A. Deane School of Law in 2015 and 2019, respectively, and the Southern District began sponsoring a program run by the New York Legal Assistance Group in 2016. Together, these programs have aided approximately 4,500 self-represented litigants in federal court, including both plaintiffs and defendants.”
