Access to Justice Special Counselor Laurence Tribe

Access to Justice Highlighted at Conference of Chief Justices/State Court Administrators
Speech by US DOJ's Laurence Tribe Calls for "Judicial Activism" on Improving Access, Creation of ATJ Commissions

Harvard Law School Professor Laurence Tribe, now special counselor for Access to Justice at the U.S. Department of Justice, won a standing ovation from state chief justices and chief court administrators for an impassioned speech in which he called upon them to play a leadership role in improving access for the poor, the middle class, and juveniles. Addressing the joint annual conference of the Conference of Chief Justices and Conference of State Court Administrators, Tribe called for a new form of non-ideological "judicial activism," asking chief justices to take specific steps to enforce the right to counsel for juveniles and indigents and to make pro bono and pro se representation easier. He called for the creation of Access to Justice commissions in those states where they do not already exist, and cited examples of the effectiveness of current commissions, especially in expanding state funding for legal assistance.

Texas Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson, president of the Conference of Chief Justices, was quoted by the National Law Journal as saying that the message was very well received. "We were all taking notes. The message he gave was inspirational. As chief justices, we can do no better than to spend our time making sure there is access to the courthouse."

Laurence Tribe Speech at ABA

DOJ's Laurence Tribe spoke at the Annual Meeting of the American Bar Association. After acknowledging the contribution of pro bono attorneys, he pointed out that pro bono assistance alone is not capable of filling the gap in legal needs faced by the poor and middle class. He called for simplification of legal procedures, revision of unauthorized practice of law rules to allow non-lawyers to provide some services related to simpler legal tasks, and the use of technology to establish better self-help centers located in courts and communities.

Links to all documents available at www.ATJsupport.org. (alternate URL: www.abalegalservices.org/atj)