LEARN MORE
​This page provides additional background and links to resources for anyone who wants to dive deeper into the access-to-justice gap and the broader context behind the HOPE Initiative. It includes general information on the problem, community resources, and examples from other states.
Community Resources
-
Massachusetts Legal Help (Housing, apartments, and shelter)
-
Massachusetts Defense for Eviction (MADE): Self-Guided Eviction Help (Greater Boston Legal Services)
General Information on Access to Justice Gap
-
​Ensuring Justice for All Guide (National Center for State Courts)
-
Legal Aid in the United States (National Equal Justice Library)
-
Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation Fact Sheets (MLAC)
-
MLAC Funding Distribution (MLAC)
-
A Brief History of Legal Services in Massachusetts (Mass Legal Services)
-
Investing in Justice: A Roadmap to Cost-Effective Funding of Civil Legal Aid in Massachusetts (Boston Bar Association Report)
Similar initiative: Arizona
In Arizona, “Authorized Community Justice Workers (CJWs) are non-lawyer legal service providers who assist individuals under the supervision of an attorney within an approved legal services organization. They help clients understand their rights, complete legal documents, and prepare for administrative proceedings—all at no cost to participants.” Helping fill a huge gap in legal aid attorneys, the Arizona program serves clients across a range of areas, including with housing issues. Arizona authorized the program by changing its unauthorized practice of law rules and creating new structures to train and support non-lawyer legal service providers.
For additional reading on Arizona’s revolutionary reforms, we’ve included the following: a report on the results from Arizona’s (and Utah’s) analogous housing pilot, a law review article, written by an Arizona appellate judge, breaking down the myriad legal service initiatives considered by the state (including the expansion of the practice of law to certain non-lawyers), and another article discussing Arizona’s unauthorized practice of law innovations. And here are testimonials from non-lawyer legal services providers who participated in the housing pilot program in Arizona.
Similar initiative: Utah
In Utah, “Housing Stability Community Justice Advocates work with tenants to evaluate their situation and provide legal help throughout the process.” Becoming an advocate is straightforward: Utah nonprofits run a training program designed to teach non-lawyers everything they need to know to help housing clients. State regulatory changes made the Housing Stability Community Justice Advocate program possible. Drawing on cutting edge legal regulatory proposals, Utah created a “regulatory sandbox” with limited waivers of the state’s unauthorized practice of law rules. Utah’s sandbox has so far delivered over 75,000 services, a trailblazer for underserved communities.
Similar Experiences of Other States and Countries
-
Diverse Landscape of Community-Based Justice Workers Report (University of Denver)
-
Balancing the Scales: State Efforts for Local Legal Aid Funding (Pro Bono Institute)
-
Alaska’s Community Justice Worker Program (Alaska Legal Services Corporation)
-
Utah’s Community Justice Advocate Program (Utah State Transforming Communities Institute)
-
Utah’s Housing Stability Legal Advocate Pilot Program (Utah Supreme Court)
-
England’s Community-Based Advice Hubs (Open Innovation Team)
-
Scotland’s Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service (Legal Action Group)
-
Australia’s National Access to Justice Partnership (Australia’s Attorney General)