The justice gap in the United States is striking. It ranks 103rd out of 126 countries in accessibility and affordability of civil legal services, according to a World Justice Project survey. More than 80% of those in poverty, as well as a majority of middle-income Americans, receive inadequate civil legal assistance, the nonprofit Legal Services Corporation found.

The problem goes beyond resources⁠—it is systemic. Most people facing legal problems do not know whether they need lawyers, much less how to find them. According to a 2014 American Bar Association report, less than 20% of people who recognized that they had a legal need even considered consulting an attorney. People far more frequently engaged in self-help (46%), sought help from family and friends (16%) or simply disregarded the matter and did nothing (16%). Most people reported that they don’t think of their justice problems as legal problems that may have legal solutions.