NEWS
- 09/13/2018: Wisconsin advocates petition WI Supreme Court for right to counsel rules >>
- 09/12/2018: NYC first jurisdiction to guarantee counsel for evictions, looks to expand >>
- 09/10/2018: Texas court: failure to appoint counsel for parent was reversible error >>
- 09/13/2018: Wisconsin advocates petition WI Supreme Court for right to counsel rules >>
- 09/12/2018: NYC first jurisdiction to guarantee counsel for evictions, looks to expand >>
- 09/10/2018: Texas court: failure to appoint counsel for parent was reversible error >>
- 09/01/2018: Acting on CT legislative task force suggestions, Legislature enacts DV representation pilot >>
- 08/23/2018: Louisiana court: child's right to counsel in adoptions is mandatory >>
- 08/20/2018: Mississippi court: parent should've been appointed counsel in termination case >>
- 08/16/2018: Complaints allege CA court violating Americans with Disabilities Act >>
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 The Guardian, the ABA Journal, and the San Francisco Public Press, as well as a Maryland Daily Record editorial supporting the right to counsel in housing cases.
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.