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.