News Post

by Brannon J. Buck

Where do people who live below the poverty line go for help with a legal problem in Alabama?  They cannot afford a lawyer. They probably don’t even know a lawyer.  If they can find an attorney, they cannot afford to pay the legal fees.  There are roughly one million Alabamians faced with this dilemma.  How do they handle a collection dispute or a neglectful landlord?  How do they obtain a will?  What about a child support or custody problem?  The potential list is endless.  The Alabama State Bar receives dozens of calls every day from people who are looking for help with basic legal problems.

Although our state government spends fewer dollars on civil legal aid than virtually every other state, there are many great resources in Alabama to help those in need. Most of us know about the Volunteer Lawyers Programs and Legal Services Alabama, but there are many lesser-known legal aid providers. They can be hard to find, each having its own separate website dispersed across the internet.  If we, as lawyers, are not familiar with all the available resources, how can we direct people to them? And, how are those with lower educational attainment and limited resources supposed to find these legal aid providers?

This year, our state bar has developed a solution to the challenge of connecting those in need with the access to justice resources that exist.  Justice4AL.com is a new “one-stop shop” for finding legal aid providers and accessing information about the justice system. With easy navigation, users answer a few basic questions, and the site directs them to available services in their geographical area.  Now, instead of simply telling someone, “I cannot help you with that,” judges, court clerks, law firm receptionists, lawyers, and really anyone else can direct people who need legal aid resources to the Justice4AL.com site.  From there, individuals will easily find the information and organizations that can assist them.

In addition to helping people connect with legal aid providers, Justice4AL.com also facilitates easy access to information about courthouses and court personnel, all searchable by location. And the site will help individuals who can afford to pay for legal services find a lawyer in their community with relevant experience. By using the state bar website search function, Justice4AL.com users will be able to find lawyers by geography and practice area.  All state bar members can now self-select practice areas in their state bar website profiles.

Log into your Alabama State Bar profile at https://members.alabar.org/Member_Portal/Contact_Management/Sign_In and use the drop-down menu to identify the practice areas in which you practice.

With Justice4AL.com up and running, we must now make it known to the people who need it, when they need it, wherever they live. To that end, we intend to post a Justice4AL.com QR Code in every courthouse and in other prominent public places in every county.  Our Board of Bar Commissioners will be coordinating the effort to place placards with the QR Code throughout each of their circuits. I encourage you to make the QR code available in your firms and to let your staff know about the website so that they can direct people to it who call with a legal problem that your firm cannot handle.

Justice4AL.com would not have become a reality without the dedicated work of the Justice for All Task Force. I want to thank the entire task force for their fantastic effort and efficiency on this project.  Felicia Long chaired and Eileen Harris and Josh Hayes co-chaired the task force.  The other members include Alexia Borden, Judge Henry Callaway, Judge Brent Craig, Chris Colee, Mark Debro, Peyton Faulk, Leon Hampton, Dawn Hathcock, Carmen Howell, Linda Lund, Matt McDonald, Holly Ray, Judge Burt Smithart, John Stamps, James Terrell, Judge Erin Welborn, and Leila Watson.  In addition, Melissa Warnke, the state bar’s Director of Communications, and Olivia Walker, our Communications Coordinator, deserve special recognition for their contributions to the Justice4AL.com project.

Please, spend a few minutes checking out Justice4AL.com. It contains far more information than can be described here.  And share it with others.  Our hope is that Justice4AL.com will become Alabama’s virtual courthouse door and will ease the daunting challenge facing people with limited resources who need help with a legal problem.