The 27-member Florida Commission on Access to Civil Justice completed its nearly two-year mission Friday and its final conclusion is more work needs to be done.
Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice George Labarga called the growing number of poor and middle income residents who can’t afford an attorney a crisis when he created the commission in 2014.
In the commission’s final meeting, Justice Barbara Pariente warned about a growing sense of alienation people feel when they can’t find help dealing with major challenges, like divorce and child custody.
“To be without a voice is to further diminish your ability to be a fully functioning citizen.”
The report mentions a number of solutions, including a pilot project with a legal web portal in Clay County. The Florida Bar and the Supreme Court are also working on a rule change to allow greater use of retired judges and law professors.
