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The Louisiana State Bar Association’s

Access to Justice Committees and Initiatives

April 2023

“Access to Justice” refers to the concept whereby all individuals have the ability to meaningfully
participate in the civil legal system, regardless of their income. The Louisiana State Bar
Association has long supported the pursuit of access to justice for the people of Louisiana. In 1997,
the LSBA formalized that commitment by establishing and funding of its Access to Justice (ATJ)
Program.

Access to Justice History
The ATJ Department
Established in 1997, the LSBA’s Access to Justice Department commits six full-time Bar
personnel to support the efforts of Louisiana’s non-profit civil legal aid and pro bono community
to ensure access to the court system for indigent people.

The ATJ Committee
The ATJ Committee was created at the same time with a mission to bring together civil legal
stakeholders to collaborate in the effort to ensure that every Louisiana citizen has access to civil
legal representation, regardless of their income. Membership includes representation from the
LSBA, Louisiana Law Schools, private practitioners, local bar associations, pro bono programs,
civil legal aid providers and other stakeholders in Louisiana’s Justice Community. With the
introduction of the ATJ Policy Committee (see below), ATJ Committee work shifted to focus on
issues related to the direct provision of civil legal services, while the policy committee focused on
strategic funding and policy initiatives.
The ATJ Policy Committee
Established in 2009, the ATJ Policy Committee was created in response to a national trend to
instantiate access to justice in official public policy. While the ATJ Committee is composed
primarily of direct service providers and focuses on the interworking of those organizations, the
ATJ Policy Committee pursued leadership in the arena of funding and long-term strategy. The ATJ
Policy Committee was subsumed by the ATJ Commission, which was created in 2015.
The ATJ Commission
The ATJ Commission was created in 2015 by an order of the Louisiana Supreme Court in response
to national encouragement from the ABA for all states to establish Commissions to address local
access to justice issues. The ATJ Commission absorbed and continued the work of the ATJ Policy
Committee. The 21 members of the Commission are appointed annually to represent designated
organizations and interests, including the LSBA, the judiciary, Louisiana Law schools, private
practice, corporate counsel, pro bono organizations, and the LBF.

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