New Task Force to Expand Access to Justice Through Non-Lawyer Legal Services Providers

NEW YORK, NY — In a major initiative aimed at addressing the justice gap, Ronald C. Minkoff, the President of the New York County Lawyers Association, has established a task force that will explore ways to utilize non-lawyer justice workers to assist clients in both litigation and transactional matters. The new Technology and Community Justice Task Force brings together legal professionals, innovators, and advocates to explore, define, and expand the role of community-based legal helpers.

The task force’s first meeting established a comprehensive roadmap to implement the group’s mission.  

Central to that mission is drafting a formal charter to define appropriate roles for non-lawyers who wish to provide limited forms of legal services to clients. The task force will look closely at a variety of critical frontline roles, including navigators, paralegals, community advocates, technology solutions, and licensed legal technicians. By formalizing the scope of these positions, the task force aims to work alongside existing bar committees and sections to strengthen public service delivery.

“Advancing access to justice requires looking beyond traditional legal models and empowering the community advocates, navigators, and technicians who are already on the front lines,” said Sateesh Nori, Esq., a former legal services lawyer and access to justice researcher who is the Task Force’s Chair. “This task force represents a critical step toward a more inclusive, accessible legal system.”

“The justice gap has become a chasm,” said Mr. Minkoff.  “The vast majority of Americans cannot afford the legal services they need.  For them, the traditional lawyer-client model is not working.  We have to be unafraid to explore alternatives, keeping in mind the need for mechanisms to protect the public.” 

To achieve its goals, the task force has outlined an ambitious set of deliverables through the end of the year, which includes:

• Educational Programming: Organizing a targeted conference or Continuing Legal Education (CLE) program alongside prospective co-sponsors.

• Model Legislation: Drafting model legislation for an appropriate regulatory framework to expand access to justice through non-traditional or lawyer-centered methods.

• Building tools: Building technology tools and non-lawyer pilots. 

The members of the task force are: Ronald Minkoff, Sateesh Nori, Seymour James, James Kobak, Khasim Lockhart, Barry Temkin, Michael Miller, Randall Tesser, Janet Sabel, Tara Herman, Jessica Breuer, Amanda Lipman, and David Udell. Moving forward, the group plans to recruit additional diverse voices to ensure a holistic approach, specifically targeting practitioners, members of the judiciary, legal academics, funders, and the non-lawyer justice workers themselves.

The task force will meet regularly to execute its action items, advance its research, and prepare its foundational proposals.

About the New York County Lawyers Association
The New York County Lawyers Association (www.nycla.org) was founded in 1908 as one of the first major bar associations in the country that admitted members without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, or gender. Since its inception, it has pioneered some of the most far-reaching and tangible reforms in American jurisprudence and has continuously played an active role in legal developments and public policy.

 # # #