NEWS
- 01/10/2019: NYC first jurisdiction to guarantee counsel for evictions, looks to expand >>
- 01/03/2019: Montana Supreme Court acts to protect parent right to counsel >>
- 12/20/2018: Newark becomes third city to enact right to counsel for evictions >>
- 01/10/2019: NYC first jurisdiction to guarantee counsel for evictions, looks to expand >>
- 01/03/2019: Montana Supreme Court acts to protect parent right to counsel >>
- 12/20/2018: Newark becomes third city to enact right to counsel for evictions >>
- 12/08/2018: Report: tenants in Columbus OH with rep avoid adverse judgments far more often >>
- 12/08/2018: Report: Hennepin County MN tenants w/rep 2x more likely to stay in homes >>
- 12/07/2018: NJ court: counsel must be appointed prior to suspending driver's licenses >>
- 11/28/2018: U.S. Senate hearings on adult guardianship address right to counsel >>
INTERACTIVE MAP
Our interactive map allows you to see recent activity, established rights to counsel, NCCRC involvement, and NCCRC presence by state.
NCCRC in the news
We and the right to counsel movement were featured recently in Washington Post, Slate, The Guardian, and the ABA Journal.
About
The NCCRC works to advance right to counsel for low-income people in civil cases involving basic human needs, such as housing, health, domestic violence, and child custody.
Why a Right to counsel?
For some types of civil cases, the right to a free lawyer for people who can't afford one helps ensure the court reaches the correct result, levels the playing field, saves more money than it costs, and serves as a best practice in our communities. Every state provides a right to counsel for some types of civil cases, but it's a patchwork at best. Since 2003, the NCCRC and its 300 participants have fought for such a right in states across the country. Our work has helped establish a right to counsel in key areas like child custody, guardianship of adults, termination of parental rights, and incarceration for failure to pay criminal fees and fines.
Bibliographies
Want to find out about practically everything (media story, study/report, law review article, etc.) that's ever been written about the civil right to counsel? You'll find it in our bibliographies.