20th Anniversary
2025 marked two decades of the Commission’s unwavering commitment to ensuring fairness and equity in the civil justice system. As we reflect on 20 years of progress, innovation, and collaboration, we also look ahead with renewed dedication to meeting the evolving legal needs of underserved communities across Massachusetts.
The Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission was created by the Supreme Judicial Court in 2005 to provide leadership, vision and coordination for the many organizations and individuals dedicated to providing and improving access to justice for those who cannot afford legal representation for their essential legal needs. Since its inception, the Commission has collaborated with the courts, legal aid organizations, bar associations, and many other stakeholders on numerous initiatives to bridge the justice gap and improve legal services for underserved populations.
ATJC Leaders at Fenway
Access to Justice Commission leaders celebrating 20 years of impact at Fenway Park — honoring the past, and stepping up to the plate for the future of civil justice in Massachusetts.
Looking ahead, the Commission will strive to expand pro bono programs throughout the state; work to assure racial justice in civil legal matters involving poor litigants; coordinate efforts of a broad network of legal, social service, and administrative organizations who seek to improve access to justice; work with the courts to simplify and standardize court forms and processes and address the needs of self-represented litigants; and continue to focus on areas of high need for legal assistance, which arise in all court departments of the Trial Court.
To increase funding for civil legal aid, the Commission:
· Secured Supreme Judicial Court approval for a voluntary annual access to justice registration fee and a pro hac vice registration fee dedicated to civil legal aid.
· Spearheaded the allocation of millions of dollars in federal funding to civil legal aid for victims of crime through the Civil Legal Aid for Victims of Crime project.
To expand pro bono attorney services, the Commission:
· Supported development of pro bono programs in cooperation with the courts, including three that were created recently in District Court, Land Court, and Superior Court.
· Established the Access to Justice Fellows Program, where retired attorneys provide pro bono services to legal aid agencies and other non-profits.
· Incubated a statewide civil appellate pro bono program.
To improve access to justice for self-represented litigants, the Commission:
· Supported statewide expansion of the Housing Court.
· Encouraged creation of Court Service Centers to provide information for self-represented litigants and assist them in filling out forms.
· Suggested improvements to the statewide court website to make it more user friendly and uniform, including detailed information for Lawyer for the Day pages.
· Encouraged development of standardized court forms in multiple languages.
· Provided letters of support to legal aid programs seeking funding to develop various self-help tools such as the Massachusetts Legal Resource Finder (www.MassLRF.org).
· Had numerous past and present Commission members participate in drafting the recently issued Judicial Guidelines for Civil Cases with Self-Represented Litigants.
To support racial equity in the civil justice system, the Commission:
· Launched a Racial Equity and Justice Committee in 2020 to focus on the collection and use of race and ethnicity data to improve the civil justice system.
· Supported the creation of the Trial Court’s Office of Access, Diversity, and Fairness and regularly coordinates with its leadership on numerous issues.
To provide leadership in meeting access to justice challenges, the Commission:
· Worked with a wide range of stakeholders to develop the 2017 Justice for All Strategic Action Plan and create pilot programs in the areas of housing and consumer debt to test proposals in that Plan.
· Created a COVID-19 Task Force in 2020 to foster collaboration and marshal resources to respond to the access to justice challenges posed by the pandemic, and subsequently shared recommendations from this experience in a September 2022 report.
