Legal &
Restorative Justice
Low-income Americans receive no or inadequate legal help for 92% of their substantial civil legal problems — evictions, custody disputes, debt collection, domestic violence, and benefits denials (Legal Services Corporation, 2022). The US ranks 107th out of 142 countries on civil justice affordability. The problem is not the law. It is access to the law. The church already has the trusted relationships, the community presence, and often the attorneys. A Saturday morning legal clinic is one of the most direct interventions a congregation can make against injustice.
92% Without Help
92% of substantial civil legal problems faced by low-income Americans receive no or inadequate legal help. 74% of low-income households face at least one civil legal problem per year (LSC Justice Gap Study, 2022).
Gospel Justice Centers
Administer Justice has trained and supported churches to run Gospel Justice Centers — Saturday morning legal clinics — since 2006. Their model has been replicated in dozens of states. The full infrastructure is available for any church to license and launch.
70M With Records
Approximately 70 million Americans have a criminal record. In many states, a single qualifying conviction from years ago can be expunged — permanently removing the barrier to employment, housing, and licensing. Most people with expungeable records don't know it.
$0 Instructional Cost
A church-hosted legal clinic using volunteer attorneys costs the church only hospitality and coordination. The attorneys — many of whom need pro bono hours for bar requirements — bring the expertise. The church brings the trust and the room.
The Justice System Is Inaccessible to Most of the People Your Church Serves
The Legal Services Corporation's 2022 Justice Gap Study — the most comprehensive national measurement of civil legal need ever conducted, based on a NORC survey of more than 5,000 households — found that low-income Americans do not receive any or adequate legal help for 92% of their substantial civil legal problems. Three in four low-income households experience at least one civil legal problem in a given year. Two in five experience five or more. The most common types involve housing (evictions, unsafe conditions, foreclosure), health care (benefit denials, medical debt), consumer debt (collection, garnishment), family law (custody, domestic violence), and income maintenance (benefits, unemployment).
The World Justice Project's 2024 Rule of Law Index placed the United States 107th out of 142 countries on civil justice affordability and accessibility — a fall of 42 places since 2015, when the US ranked 65th. The New York City Bar Association called this no longer a "justice gap" but a "justice chasm," estimating that nearly 50 million unrepresented people fall into it every year. In state civil courts, rates of self-representation exceed 90% on many dockets — meaning that in housing court, family court, and small claims court, the overwhelming majority of low-income litigants have no legal representation.
The barriers are not primarily about the quality of law or the willingness of attorneys. The barriers are cost, knowledge, and trust. The first question a person facing eviction asks is not "how do I find a lawyer?" — it is "does anyone I trust know what I should do?" The church is the institution that answers that question first. When a church hosts a legal clinic, it converts that trust into access — connecting community members with the one resource (legal counsel) that most directly determines the outcome of their civil legal problems.
The Legal Services Corporation's 2022 Justice Gap Study found that 92% of substantial civil legal problems faced by low-income Americans receive no or inadequate legal help. 74% of low-income households experience at least one civil legal problem per year; 39% experience five or more; 20% experience ten or more. The most common problems involve consumer issues, health care, housing, and income maintenance. LSC-funded legal aid organizations must turn away 1 in 2 (49%) requests they receive due to limited resources. Only 28% of low-income people surveyed agreed that "people like them are treated fairly" by the civil legal system.
Source: Legal Services Corporation, "The Justice Gap: The Unmet Civil Legal Needs of Low-income Americans," April 2022. NORC at the University of Chicago. justicegap.lsc.gov.The World Justice Project's 2024 Rule of Law Index ranks the United States 107th out of 142 countries on civil justice accessibility and affordability — a drop of 42 places since 2015, when the US ranked 65th. State civil courts now operate as "primarily lawyerless" courts, according to law professors Carpenter, Shanahan, Steinberg, and Mark, with self-representation exceeding 90% on many dockets. Cabrini Green Legal Aid in Chicago traces its founding directly to LaSalle Street Church in 1973, when Pastor Bill Leslie invited an attorney to run a full-time legal clinic. The church raised the first year's budget in two weeks.
Source: World Justice Project Rule of Law Index 2024, civil justice dimension; NYCLA "Justice Gap Has Become a Chasm," July 2025; Cabrini Green Legal Aid, cabrinigreenlegal.org mission history.Most Common Civil Legal Problems Faced by Low-Income Households — LSC 2022
These are the issues people walk into a church legal clinic carrying. A single Saturday morning session can provide the legal navigation that determines the outcome of an eviction, a custody case, or a record expungement that changes the course of a life.
Without Adequate Help
92% of substantial civil legal problems faced by low-income Americans go without any or adequate legal assistance. This has not meaningfully improved since LSC's first Justice Gap study in 2005 (LSC 2022).
Global Civil Justice Rank
The US ranks 107th out of 142 countries on civil justice accessibility and affordability in the 2024 World Justice Project Rule of Law Index — down 42 places from 65th in 2015. The trend line is worsening.
Helped Per Year (DC Model)
Christian Legal Aid of DC provided legal aid to more than 650 people at no cost in 2023 alone, through church-based legal clinics. Administer Justice's national network serves tens of thousands per year through Gospel Justice Centers in dozens of states.
How Churches Run Legal Aid Ministries
From a 1973 Chicago church basement that became one of the nation's most important criminal legal aid organizations to a Saturday morning clinic model now operating in dozens of states — the church-based legal clinic has a 50-year documented track record.
Gospel Justice Centers: The Replicable Saturday Morning Model
Administer Justice was founded by trial attorney Bruce Strom after reading Proverbs and Zechariah 7:9–10 ("Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion") and asking his pastor if he could hold a legal aid clinic one Saturday a month. The first Gospel Justice Center was launched at New Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Rockford, Illinois. The model has since been replicated in dozens of churches across multiple states through a training and licensing framework that Administer Justice provides to any church willing to host. The model is distinctive: when a client walks in, a church volunteer prays with them. Another provides coffee. An attorney reviews their situation, explains their options, and provides a next-step action plan. A follow-up volunteer calls weeks later. The holistic design — legal help embedded in human relationship — is what separates it from a government legal aid intake window.
The Clinic Flow
Client arrives → prayer volunteer greets and prays → intake volunteer collects basic case information → attorney volunteer reviews situation (30–45 min) → attorney provides legal advice, options, and next steps → follow-up volunteer confirms client knows next action → coordinator calls client 2–3 weeks later to check status. The follow-up call is what most clinics omit — and it is what makes this model produce outcomes rather than information.
Attorney Volunteer Recruitment
Most state bar associations require attorneys to complete continuing legal education (CLE) in ethics and professionalism. Some states (Illinois, others) allow supervised pro bono service to count toward CLE hours — a direct incentive for attorney volunteers. Christian Legal Society (cls.org) maintains a directory of Christian attorneys willing to volunteer at church clinics. Local law school clinics can supplement with supervised student volunteers.
Scope of Issues Handled
Landlord-tenant issues, custody and family law questions, debt and consumer issues, immigration questions, benefits denials, record expungement eligibility assessments, small business legal questions, and estate planning basics. Attorneys provide legal advice and navigation — not courtroom representation. For cases requiring representation, the clinic provides referrals to legal aid organizations or pro bono attorneys.
How to Become a Host Church
Visit administerjustice.org and complete the host church inquiry form. Administer Justice provides training, operational infrastructure, attorney volunteer recruitment support, and ongoing program guidance. The host church provides the space, the non-attorney volunteers, and the community relationships that bring clients through the door. Monthly or quarterly clinic frequency is common for starter churches.
From Church Basement to Major Legal Aid Organization: The 50-Year Model
Cabrini Green Legal Aid Clinic was "conceptualized in the basement of Chicago's LaSalle Street Church when Pastor Bill Leslie asked me to run a full-time legal clinic as a ministry of the church to meet the community's legal needs." The founder agreed, on the condition that the church could provide the funding. Pastor Leslie raised the first full year's budget in two weeks. What began in 1973 as a church-based legal clinic serving the Cabrini-Green public housing community has become one of the Chicago area's most significant criminal legal aid organizations — providing holistic legal services with social support and advocacy for individuals and communities negatively impacted by the criminal legal system. The CGLA model demonstrates what a church's "yes" to a legal ministry can grow into across decades when the institution commits seriously to the mission.
Faith-Informed Model
CGLA describes itself as a "faith-informed" organization: "religious belief underlies the foundational and philosophical motivation to serve the poor." The legal work is entirely secular in execution — but the organizational identity, the decision-making culture, and the motivation for the work are explicitly grounded in faith. This is the operating model most churches naturally produce when they start a legal aid ministry.
Criminal Legal System Focus
CGLA focuses specifically on removing barriers to equity in the criminal legal system — record expungement, re-entry support, wrongful conviction advocacy, and policy reform. The criminal legal system focus reflects LaSalle Street Church's location in a community heavily impacted by mass incarceration — and it is the legal specialty most underserved in most communities, because most legal aid programs focus on civil rather than criminal matters.
The Implication for Starting Churches
A church doesn't need to become CGLA to start. CGLA started as a church clinic. The lesson is that a serious institutional commitment — space, funding, staff, and sustained pastoral support — produces an institution that outlasts the founding pastor and serves the community for generations. Starting with a monthly Saturday clinic is where CGLA started.
Record Expungement Clinics
One of the highest-impact, most replicable single events a church legal clinic can host: a record expungement clinic. Volunteer attorneys assess eligibility under state law (many states have "clean slate" provisions covering qualifying misdemeanors and non-violent felonies), prepare petitions, and file for expungement. A single expungement clinic can change the life trajectories of 20–50 people in one Saturday morning.
Christian Legal Aid Clinics: The Multi-City Volunteer Attorney Network
Christian Legal Aid of DC (christianlegalaid-dc.org) provided free legal services to more than 650 people in 2023 alone through church-based legal clinics in the Washington metro area. Its case scope includes criminal records and re-entry barriers, eviction defense, tenant rights, estate planning, healthcare directives, and family law. Christian Legal Aid of Los Angeles (cla-la.org) operates a similar model, integrating law student interns with practicing attorney volunteers — producing a training environment for aspiring lawyers alongside direct client service. The Christian Legal Society (christianlegalsociety.org) maintains a national network of Christian Legal Aid clinics and a directory of Christian attorneys willing to volunteer, providing a ready-made attorney recruitment resource for any church starting a clinic.
Christian Legal Aid DC's Case Scope
Criminal record barriers, eviction and tenant rights, estate planning and healthcare directives, family law navigation, and benefits access. The clinic operates through a phone clinic model for initial triage and in-person clinics for deeper case review. In 2023: 650+ clients served at no cost. Referral partnerships with local legal aid organizations handle cases requiring representation.
CLA-LA's Law Student Integration
CLA-LA integrates law student volunteers alongside practicing attorneys — creating a supervision structure where students handle intake and initial research under attorney supervision. This multiplies the clinic's capacity without adding attorney cost, and provides law students with community service hours and real-world exposure that shapes how they think about legal practice. Many law schools require pro bono hours for graduation.
Bar Requirement Incentive
Most state bars have aspirational or mandatory pro bono requirements. California requires attorneys to report pro bono hours annually. Illinois gives CLE credit for certain supervised pro bono service. Framing volunteer recruitment around bar requirements — "help us meet your bar obligation while serving your community" — is the most effective single message for attorney volunteer recruitment at a new clinic.
Christian Legal Society Network
CLS maintains a directory of Christian Legal Aid clinics nationwide and a searchable database of Christian attorneys by practice area and state. For a church starting a clinic, CLS is the fastest attorney recruitment resource. Contact CLS at christianlegalsociety.org and ask for their Christian Legal Aid program and local attorney directory for your state.
Four Program Lanes — Start with the Quarterly Clinic
The Administer Justice model (lane 1) gives a church the fastest path to a functioning legal clinic. The record expungement clinic (lane 3) produces the most dramatic single-event life change. Build all four over 12 months — they reinforce each other.
Quarterly Legal Aid Clinic (Gospel Justice Model)
4x/yr · Saturday AM · Attorney volunteersA quarterly Saturday morning legal clinic using the Administer Justice Gospel Justice Center model. Volunteer attorneys provide 30–45 minute consultations on housing, debt, family law, benefits, immigration, and record expungement questions. Non-attorney church volunteers handle greeting, prayer, intake, coffee, and follow-up calls. Pre-registration recommended; walk-ins welcome for remaining slots.
Partner with Administer Justice for the full framework, or self-organize using the Christian Legal Society attorney network. A new clinic typically serves 8–15 clients per session in its first year. By year two, word of mouth typically doubles attendance. Track: number of clients served, legal issues addressed, and referrals made to legal aid organizations for representation.
Know Your Rights Workshops
Monthly or quarterly · Open to communityA 60–90 minute community education workshop on a specific legal right or process relevant to your community: tenant rights and the eviction process, understanding a debt collection lawsuit, navigating a custody modification, what to do when ICE comes to the door, or how to read and respond to a medical bill dispute. One attorney or paralegal presents; questions follow.
Know Your Rights workshops serve a different function than legal clinics — they equip people to advocate for themselves rather than requiring them to have an active legal problem. They also build the church's reputation as a legal resource hub, increasing the pipeline of clients for the quarterly clinic.
Record Expungement Clinic
Annual · Single Saturday · High impactA dedicated record expungement event where volunteer attorneys assess eligibility under your state's clean slate laws, prepare and file petitions, and guide participants through the court process. Most states have expanded expungement eligibility in recent years — many qualifying records involve misdemeanors, non-violent felonies, and convictions where the sentence was completed more than 3–7 years ago.
An expungement removes the conviction from public records accessible to most employers, landlords, and licensing boards. It is the legal intervention with the most direct economic consequence: a successful expungement can mean the difference between getting hired for a $50,000 job or not. Partner with your local public defender's office or legal aid organization — many run annual expungement clinics and are eager for church hosting partners.
Restorative Justice Circles (Parallel Track)
See also: Restorative Justice PlaybookRestorative justice circles bring together those who have caused harm, those who have been harmed, and community members — in a structured, facilitated process aimed at accountability, healing, and reintegration rather than punitive outcomes. Churches have a distinctive theological framework (forgiveness, reconciliation, restoration) that makes them natural restorative justice conveners.
Restorative circles are most commonly used as a diversion alternative (for youth who might otherwise enter the formal justice system), as a school discipline alternative (reducing suspensions and expulsions), and as a community response to harm that doesn't rise to the level of criminal charges. This lane is covered in depth in the companion Restorative Justice Circles playbook — see the sidebar for that link.
Sample Annual Budget
The $0–$2K/yr range reflects a program that runs primarily on volunteer attorney time and church hospitality. The only significant cash costs are hospitality, printed materials, and occasional court filing fee assistance for expungement clients who cannot afford fees.
| Program Line | Annual Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Quarterly Legal Aid Clinic (4 per year) Hospitality + intake forms + follow-up coordination | $0–$600 | Attorney time is donated. Church costs: coffee and light food ($40–$75/session), printed intake forms and information sheets ($10–$20/session), and a follow-up coordinator (volunteer). Total: $0–$380/yr for 4 sessions. If partnering with Administer Justice, they provide intake forms and operational materials as part of the host church package. |
Know Your Rights Workshops 4–6 sessions/yr · attorney presenter + printed handouts | $0–$300 | Attorney presenters volunteer their time. Printed handouts summarizing key rights and local resources: $15–$30/session. Hospitality: $30–$50/session. A legal aid organization or law school clinic may co-sponsor workshops at no cost to the church — their attorneys present, the church hosts and provides the community audience. |
Annual Record Expungement Clinic 1 event/yr · court filing fee fund | $0–$800 | Attorney time is donated. Court filing fees for expungement petitions vary by state: $0 in states with fee waivers for low-income petitioners (California, Illinois, others), $50–$200+ elsewhere. Maintain a small benevolence fund ($300–$500) to cover filing fees for clients who cannot pay. Hospitality: $75–$150. Some states' public defender offices will file and cover fees — confirm with your state before budgeting. |
Program Coordinator Volunteer or stipend role | $0–$600 | A coordinator manages attorney scheduling, community promotion, client intake, and follow-up tracking. An ideal volunteer is a paralegal, legal secretary, social worker, or congregation member with administrative skills. A $50/month stipend (year two) reflects sustained value. This role can be combined with the church's existing community outreach coordinator if the church has one. |
| Total (Full Program) | $0–$2,300/yr | The legal aid clinic is the lowest-cost, highest-justice-impact program in this entire library. The attorneys come for free. The expertise arrives ready-made. The church provides the room, the coffee, and the trust that brings community members through the door. IOLTA (Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts) foundation grants in most states fund church-based legal clinics — apply through your state bar's legal access committee. |
Common Funding Streams
The Value of One Good Answer
Church Annual Cost
~$800
4 quarterly clinics + 1 expungement event
Eviction Prevented Value
$10,000+
avg. cost of eviction to family (moving, lost deposit, shelter, job disruption)
Expungement Employment Gain
$10K–$40K
annual income unlocked by record clearance
A quarterly legal clinic that prevents 2 evictions per year has generated more value for those families than most emergency financial assistance programs can provide. A single expungement clinic that clears records for 10 people has collectively unlocked an estimated $100,000–$400,000 in lifetime employment access. On an $800/year church investment. This is what access to justice produces.
First 60 Days
The fastest path is the Administer Justice partnership call. The second fastest is contacting your local law school clinic. Either approach can have your first legal clinic running within 60 days.
Contact Administer Justice. Contact Your Law School. Survey the Congregation.
Visit administerjustice.org and complete the host church inquiry. This begins the process of becoming an official Gospel Justice Center host with their training, operational materials, and attorney recruitment support. Response time is typically within one week. Simultaneously, contact your local law school's pro bono or community legal clinic program — many have active church partnership programs waiting for host sites.
Search christianlegalsociety.org for Christian attorneys in your state. Send a brief email to any attorneys in your area: "We are starting a monthly legal aid clinic at [church name] in [neighborhood]. We're looking for volunteer attorneys to consult with community members on housing, family law, debt, and record expungement questions. The clinic is modeled on the Gospel Justice Center format. Would you be willing to join our volunteer team?" A personal email to 5–10 attorneys typically produces 2–3 positive responses.
Include a bulletin insert or verbal announcement: "Does anyone in our congregation work in law — as an attorney, paralegal, or legal secretary? We're starting a legal aid clinic. We'd love your help." Some of the most effective clinic coordinators are paralegals or legal secretaries who understand how legal processes work and can manage intake and scheduling efficiently.
Define Scope, Format, and Non-Attorney Volunteer Roles
Meet with your lead attorney volunteer and define the clinic's scope: which legal issues will be addressed (start narrow — housing and debt are highest need), what the intake process looks like, how cases requiring representation will be referred, and what the follow-up protocol is. Do not try to cover every legal issue at launch. Start with the two or three most common problems in your community and expand from there.
Recruit and brief 4–6 non-attorney church volunteers: a greeter/prayer volunteer, 2 intake volunteers (who collect basic case information), a hospitality volunteer, and a follow-up coordinator. Walk them through the clinic flow. Their role is to make clients feel welcomed, calm, and cared for — before and after the attorney consultation, which can be stressful for clients who have never spoken with a lawyer. Print intake forms (available through Administer Justice).
Run the First Clinic — Then Set the Expungement Date
Promote the first clinic 2–3 weeks in advance. Channels: church bulletin, neighborhood Facebook groups, WhatsApp/text tree, community laundromats and laundries, and partner referral from any social service agencies or housing organizations you already know. The announcement is simple: "Free legal consultation. Saturday [date], 9 AM–12 PM. Housing, debt, family law, criminal records. No appointment required. All welcome. [Church address]."
Run the first clinic. Expect 5–12 clients for a first event. After the clinic, debrief with attorney volunteers: what case types appeared? What were the most common issues? Which referrals were made? Use this information to refine the scope and request targeted attorney expertise for the next session (if most clients had housing issues, recruit a landlord-tenant attorney for session two).
Contact your local public defender's office or legal aid organization: "We want to host a record expungement clinic — where volunteer attorneys help clients assess eligibility and prepare petitions. Do you co-host these? Would you bring attorneys if we provide the space and community outreach?" Most public defender offices and legal aid organizations are eager for this — they run expungement clinics and are always looking for trusted community sites.
What Ends Legal Aid Ministries
Attorney Dependency Without Backup
A legal clinic built around one or two attorney volunteers fails completely if those volunteers become unavailable. Attorney retention is the most fragile part of the model — life circumstances, practice changes, and burnout all create risk.
- Maintain a roster of at least 4–6 attorney volunteers before the first clinic, rotating responsibility so no single attorney attends every session. A rotation model distributes the burden and reduces burnout.
- Maintain an active relationship with a law school clinic partner — they provide a consistent pipeline of supervised volunteers that does not depend on any individual attorney's availability.
- Build the coordinator role around the non-attorney volunteers, not the attorneys. If the attorneys change, the coordinator structure keeps the clinic functioning through the transition.
Attorney-Client Confidentiality Mismanagement
A legal clinic must protect client confidentiality to the same standard as a private law office. Case details shared in the consultation room must not be repeated — by attorney or non-attorney volunteers — in any context.
- Brief all volunteers — including non-attorney greeters and intake volunteers — on confidentiality before the first clinic. They will overhear sensitive information. The clinic's integrity depends on strict information discipline at every volunteer role.
- Conduct attorney consultations in a separate, private room — not in an open community hall where other clients can overhear. If the church has multiple meeting rooms, designate one per attorney volunteer as a consultation space.
- Any written intake forms containing client information must be stored securely and disposed of appropriately after the follow-up period. Administer Justice's operational materials address this directly.
Unauthorized Practice of Law
Non-attorney volunteers must not provide legal advice — only factual information and referrals. A church coordinator who answers "what should I do about my eviction notice?" with a specific legal recommendation is practicing law without a license, which creates liability for the church and the individual.
- Train all non-attorney volunteers with a clear, simple rule: "We are here to welcome, intake, and follow up. Legal questions go to the attorney. If a client asks you what they should do legally, say: 'I want to make sure you get that answered by our attorney volunteer. Let me bring you to the right table.'"
- Post a brief disclaimer at the intake table noting that non-attorney volunteers do not provide legal advice. This manages expectations and protects the church.
Irregular Scheduling Erodes Trust
A legal clinic that runs three times and then goes on a long hiatus — or changes dates unpredictably — loses the community credibility that generates word-of-mouth referrals. Clients who bring friends return to a dark building if the schedule is not consistent.
- Publish the clinic schedule for the full year at the start of the year. A fixed quarterly cadence (first Saturday of March, June, September, December) is easier for community members to remember and plan around than ad hoc scheduling.
- If a clinic session must be cancelled, communicate at least 2 weeks in advance through every channel used to promote the event, and reschedule within 6 weeks. A cancelled session without a prompt rescheduling kills the program's momentum.
No follow-up call
The Administer Justice model's most distinctive feature is the follow-up call 2–3 weeks after the clinic. Most legal aid clinics don't make this call. It is the difference between a consultation that informs and one that actually resolves the problem. Clients who leave with a next-step action plan but no accountability check often don't take the step. The call is the accountability.
No referral pipeline for representation
A clinic that can only provide advice — but has no pre-established referral pathway to LSC-funded legal aid, law school clinics, or pro bono attorneys for cases requiring representation — will regularly encounter clients whose problems require more than a consultation. Build the referral list before the first clinic, not after.
Skipping the expungement event
Many churches run quarterly legal clinics for years and never host a dedicated expungement event — because it feels logistically complex. The public defender or legal aid co-hosting model makes it straightforward. An expungement clinic is the single highest-impact legal event a church can run. Don't skip it in year one.
Organizations, Networks & State Partners
Administer Justice — Gospel Justice Center Network
The most complete host church legal clinic infrastructure available to churches. Provides training, operational materials, attorney volunteer recruitment support, and an active network of Gospel Justice Center host churches. Founded by Bruce Strom; named from Zechariah 7:9–10. The fastest path from intention to a functioning legal aid clinic.
administerjustice.orgChristian Legal Society — Attorney Directory & Clinic Network
CLS maintains a national directory of Christian attorneys by state and practice area, a network of Christian Legal Aid clinics, and webinars and training for clinic staff. The fastest attorney volunteer recruitment resource for a church starting a legal clinic. CLS also provides grant funding to clinics through its 2025 grant program.
christianlegalsociety.orgLegal Services Corporation — Find Local Legal Aid
LSC funds 130 independent legal aid programs nationwide. Finding your local LSC grantee is the first step to building a referral pipeline for clients who need representation beyond what a clinic consultation can provide. LSC grantees also frequently co-host clinics at community sites and are actively seeking church partners.
lsc.gov/find-legal-aidClean Slate Initiative — State Expungement Laws
The Clean Slate Initiative tracks state-by-state record clearance laws — which convictions are eligible, how long ago the conviction must have occurred, what the process is, and whether fees are waived for low-income petitioners. An essential reference before designing your expungement clinic program.
cleanslateinitiative.orgThe Attorneys Come for Free. The Church Provides the Trust.
"Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another." — Zechariah 7:9
92% of civil legal problems faced by low-income Americans go unaddressed. The lawyers exist. The law exists. What doesn't exist — until a church provides it — is a trusted, accessible, human entry point into the legal system. A cup of coffee and a volunteer attorney on a Saturday morning is what justice looks like in the gap.
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92% of civil legal problems go unaddressed. The lawyers come for free. You provide the room. A Saturday morning legal clinic — a cup of coffee and an attorney volunteer — is what justice looks like in the gap your community falls into every single day.