Justice is out of reach for too many Americans. We're finding solutions.

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Eviction in Maricopa County, AZ

Access to Justice is:

Housing protest
Homes
Low income tenants with access to legal representation can avoid eviction and hold abusive landlords accountable.
Family Law
Family
Many people need legal help to divorce on equitable terms, to get protection from abusive spouses- or to keep their families together.
Debt protest NYC
Savings
Debt collectors file millions of lawsuits every year- many of them pitting seasoned attorneys against ordinary people who struggle to get a fair hearing in court.

Justice Index

The Justice Index is a snapshot of how well each state does in securing access to justice for some of our most vulnerable populations. View our detailed maps, data and state-by-state rankings.
See our findings
Areas of Focus
Fines and Fees

Fines and Fees

Attorney Access

Attorney Access

Disability Access

Disability Access

Self-help Access

Self-Representation

Language Access

Language Access

Consumer debt icon

Consumer Debt

Latest news

Cover of Ability to Pay Report
NCAJ's Ability to Pay Report & NCAJ's New Law Journal Article on Ability to Pay are Live Online
Government imposed fines and fees can add up to thousands of dollars. People able to pay can close their cases quickly and move on with their lives. However, people unable to pay face a wide range of harms. It shouldn’t be this way. Meaningful ability to pay determinations can reduce these harms and create greater equity.
Watch the Videos from NCAJ's Access to Justice Solutions Symposium of February 9, 2024
On February 9th, 2024, more than 500 peopled gathered or tuned in via stream to the AtJ Solutions Symposium. The sessions were videotaped that day. If you'd like to re-see what you saw, or see the sessions for the first time, you can do so at the links, below. Take a look, consider the progress of the access to justice movement, and join in the work to increase access to justice in America.
Update: View the Video from Webinar Introducing NCAJ's New Consumer Debt Litigation Index and Two Additional New Tools for Increasing Fairness in Consumer Debt Litigation
Update: View the Webinar (link below) from March 14, 2024, when NCAJ joined the Center for Public Health Law Research of Temple University Beasley School of Law and the National Consumer Law Center for NCLC's national webinar introducing these organizations' three new tools for increasing fairness in consumer debt litigation.
New “Consumer Debt Litigation Index” Ranks States on Best Policies for Access to Justice
The National Center for Access to Justice (NCAJ) at Fordham Law School today announced the release of the Consumer Debt Litigation Index, an on-line resource that demonstrates that every U.S. state and the District of Columbia lack essential legal standards to protect consumers from wrongful, abusive debt collection tactics that can lead to homelessness, family breakup, overwhelming stress and other devastating consequences for families and individuals. There are signs of progress and many states are trying to improve, but every state has a long way to go.
You are invited: With People Struggling and the Law Failing, What are the Solutions to the Access to Justice Crisis in America?
Please join us for the AtJ Solutions Symposium. NCAJ and its partner organizations at Fordham Law will bring experts and scholars together in discussion of the access to justice movement’s leading edge: policy solutions.
Fines & Fees in NY. It's Not Just Ferguson.
The Price People Pay: Fines and Fees in New York
Join us on December 5th at 6:30 pm as NCAJ's Legal & Policy Director Lauren Jones leads this panel of NYC leaders in this timely and critical conversation. . .
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