Ensuring individuals have a right to effective counsel when facing the loss of their basic human needs in the civil legal system.

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Right to Counsel Activity / Status Map

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Categorical Right To Counsel
? There is a right to counsel without qualification for all indigent individuals in this type of case, although the individual may be required to request counsel.
Discretionary Appointment Of Counsel
? Courts are permitted but not required to appoint counsel for any indigent individual in this type of case. A request may be required.
Right Or Appointment Is Qualified
? The established right to counsel or discretionary appointment of counsel is limited in some way, including: the only authority comes from a lower/intermediate court decision or a city government, not a high court / state legislature; a case has cast doubt on prior authority; a statute is ambiguous; or the right or discretionary appointment is not for all individuals or proceedings within that type of case.
No Such Proceeding
? This state has no law creating a judicial proceeding of this type.

Notice regarding status map

No information in the map should be taken as legal advice.  Moreover, information in the map is to be taken as-is, with no guarantees of its accuracy.
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Map Instruction & Disclaimers

  • No information in the map should be taken as legal advice. Moreover, information in the map is to be taken as-is, with no guarantees of its accuracy.
  • We add new cases, statutes, and other developments every day as we learn of them. Additionally, the law in each state has been comprehensively reviewed and updated as part of a rolling process that began in 2013 and continues through the current day.
  • The map does not display any negative law (i.e., cases, laws, or other developments declaring there is not a right to counsel in a certain area) except for authenticated users.
  • In the "Right to Counsel Status" view, where we are aware that a type of proceeding does not exist at all (for instance, some states do not require parental notice/consent for a minor to have an abortion, and so there is no judicial bypass procedure), it will be indicated in a brown color. But for areas listed as “incomplete”, we do not yet know if any of the states that appear to lack a right to counsel do not in fact authorize proceedings of these types.
  • It is possible that an unpublished opinion may be listed in a jurisdiction that does not allow such authority to be cited. We note where opinions are unpublished but still include them because the rules on citing unpublished opinions constantly change.
  • For rights to counsel pertaining to children and vulnerable adults, the map considers a child to have a categorical right to counsel only the court must appoint client-directed counsel. Where the court appoints an attorney ad litem or a guardian ad litem who must be an attorney, it is treated as a qualified right to counsel.
  • Instructions on how each map view works can be found right above the map.
Map Instructions & Disclaimers
  • No information in the map should be taken as legal advice. Moreover, information in the map is to be taken as-is, with no guarantees of its accuracy.
  • We add new cases, statutes, and other developments every day as we learn of them. Additionally, the law in each state has been comprehensively reviewed and updated as part of a rolling process that began in 2013 and continues through the current day.
  • The map does not display any negative law (i.e., cases, laws, or other developments declaring there is not a right to counsel in a certain area) except for authenticated users.
  • In the "Right to Counsel Status" view, where we are aware that a type of proceeding does not exist at all (for instance, some states do not require parental notice/consent for a minor to have an abortion, and so there is no judicial bypass procedure), it will be indicated in a brown color. But for areas listed as “incomplete”, we do not yet know if any of the states that appear to lack a right to counsel do not in fact authorize proceedings of these types.
  • It is possible that an unpublished opinion may be listed in a jurisdiction that does not allow such authority to be cited. We note where opinions are unpublished but still include them because the rules on citing unpublished opinions constantly change.
  • For rights to counsel pertaining to children and vulnerable adults, the map considers a child to have a categorical right to counsel only the court must appoint client-directed counsel. Where the court appoints an attorney ad litem or a guardian ad litem who must be an attorney, it is treated as a qualified right to counsel.
  • Instructions on how each map view works can be found right above the map.
© 2003-2024 National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel

The NCCRC works to advance the right to counsel for low-income people in civil cases involving basic human needs, such as housing, health, domestic violence, civil incarceration, and child custody.

About Us
Mission & Vision Our Team Our Work Funders & Supporters Contact
About Civil RTC
History CRTC Champions FAQ
News
Resource Library
Status Map Bibliographies Advocacy Tools Key Issue: Tenant RTC
Get Involved
Donate
Status Map