Government imposes fines as punishment for everything from traffic and municipal code violations to felonies, and imposes fees on top of fines as a means of financing many functions of government, including law enforcement, the court system, and other government operations. But, people unable to afford these sums face a wide range of increasing harms, including more fees, civil judgments, driver’s license suspensions, revocation of voting rights, and even incarceration. It shouldn't be this way.

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 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.

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.

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.

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. . .

At a program hosted by the National Center for Access to Justice on September 13, 2023, former Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman outlined a plan to close the infamous Rikers Island by 2027. "How do we close Rikers? What’s the secret potion to make it happen? It’s not so secret and it’s not so difficult. Mental illness is the key,” he said.

Join us on September 13th at 6:30 pm as NCAJ's Legal & Policy Director Lauren Jones leads this panel of NYC leaders in this timely and critical conversation...