GOVT 379 – Access to Civil Justice

In this course, students will explore contemporary issues related to the public’s ability to access civil legal advice, legal representation, and fair outcomes within our civil justice system. Students will be exposed to scholarship that highlights the difficulties the public faces when they have justice problems, including 1) exclusion from legal processes; 2) lack of resources; 3) lack of awareness of rights; 4) difficulty recognizing the nature of their problem; and 5) lack of confidence in the justice system. The course will culminate with student-designed research projects investigating and proposing solutions to an access to justice question relevant to a collaborating local, state, or national civil justice organization’s work.