History of Civil Legal Assistance Research Guide

NLADA is America’s oldest and largest nonprofit association devoted to excellence in the delivery of legal services to those who cannot afford counsel. They provide advocacy, guidance, information, training, and technical assistance for members of the equal justice community, especially those working in public defense and civil legal aid.

LSC is the single largest funder of civil legal aid for low-income Americans in the nation. Established in 1974, LSC operates as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation that promotes equal access to justice and provides for high-quality civil legal assistance to low-income Americans.

The Shriver Center provides national leadership in advancing laws and policies that secure justice to improve the lives and opportunities of people living in poverty. Over their 50-year history, they have secured hundreds of victories with and for people living in poverty in Illinois and across the country. They litigate, shape policy, and train and convene multi-state networks of lawyers, community leaders, and activists nationwide.

ABA’s SCLAID has jurisdiction over matters related to the creation, maintenance, and enhancement of effective civil legal aid and criminal indigent defense delivery systems and services, including by (a) advocating for meaningful access to the justice system for all; (b) supporting viable and effective plans to increase funding for legal aid and indigent defense delivery systems and services; and (c) developing standards and policy, disseminating best practices, and providing training and technical assistance.

The USCRI, established in 1911, is a nongovernmental, not-for-profit international organization dedicated to addressing the needs and rights of refugees and immigrants. USCRI, working with its affiliates, provides legal services, social, and health services to refugees, unaccompanied migrating children, trafficking survivors, and other immigrants in all 50 states, El Salvador, Honduras, Kenya, and Mexico. USCRI advocates for the rights of refugees and immigrants both nationally and globally, helping to drive policies, practices and law.

Originally established in Charlottesville, VA in 1967, the LAJC partners with communities and clients to fight for racial, social, and economic justice by dismantling systems that create and perpetuate poverty. They combine individual legal representation, impact litigation, communications, policy advocacy, and organizing to achieve community goals.

A now-archived web project intended to provide civil legal aid advocates with resources and advice for improving messaging and cementing a civil legal aid national identity.

The NCLEJ is a group of advocates and lawyers committed to advancing economic, racial, and disability justice for low-income families, individuals, and communities across the country. Founded in 1965 by Edward V. Sparer at Columbia University, they’ve fought for over five decades to ensure the U.S. meets the fundamental needs of all of its residents.

PTLA is a nonprofit organization in Maine that works to to ensure that state and federal laws affecting poor people are upheld, while also addressing the systemic barriers to justice faced by Mainers with low incomes. To achieve their mission, they provide free civil legal assistance in cases where it can make a difference in one’s ability to meet one’s basic human needs or in enforcing one’s basic human rights, including access to housing, food, income, safety, education, and healthcare.

CWLA is a 501(c)(3) organization providing services in Washington state’s Cowlitz, Wahkiakum, Lewis, and Pacific counties. The majority of their cases are family law, protective orders, housing, bankruptcy, real property, and wills/estates. They work with local attorneys who volunteer or work part-time as employees or contractors, as well as providing community presentations, legal referrals, free forms, instructional material, and case managers to help clients along the way.

This manual, put together by the National Center for Law and Economic Justice, guides legal aid and public interest lawyers through all stages of federal litigation. Previously coordinated by the Shriver Center on Poverty Law, this revised 2024 edition provides the most comprehensive expertise for practitioners litigating on behalf of low-income and disadvantaged clients against government defendants. The manual is available for free while NCLEJ continues to provide updates to the current text. At a later point, the completed version will be available through paid subscription.