Access to civil justice: where to?
Hear from leading access to justice scholar Professor Emily Taylor Poppe, in discussion with VLF’s Hugh McDonald and Lynne Haultain, on where access to justice is headed and needs to be.
In the latest Research Network webinar, Professor Emily Taylor Poppe (University of California, Irvine) and Dr Hugh McDonald (Victoria Law Foundation) engaged in a wide-ranging discussion on the current state of access to justice and the direction it must take to address unmet legal need.
Both speakers underscored that access to civil justice remains deeply unequal and structurally complex. Emily highlighted the limitations of framing the issue as a crisis, noting that ‘the challenge with crisis is that it suggests a brief moment, and [access to justice] is, at this point, quite systemic and ongoing.’ Yet, she acknowledged the term’s power to ‘convey the urgency of this problem, which is important.’
Hugh emphasised the layered nature of legal need, drawing on insights from the Public Understanding of Law Survey (PULS). He explained that people experiencing one legal issue are often facing multiple, compounding problems. ‘We can get a cascading effect of problem causing problem that can tip people into disadvantage and entrench disadvantage, and expose [people] to additional legal and related social, health, and other problems.’
Looking forward, both speakers pointed to system reform and better data use as essential. Emily called for more responsive court processes that reflect real-world asymmetries, especially in high-volume civil matters like eviction and debt. Hugh highlighted the missed potential of fragmented justice data, arguing that now is the time to learn from system-wide insights.
Despite the complexity, both expressed cautious optimism. “There are exciting things, and there are new insights, and we are learning,” Emily said. “And I do think that there is hope and opportunity.”
Our Research Network aims to highlight exciting developments in access to justice and legal needs, both on a global and local scale. They also serve as a platform for researchers to network and connect with members of the justice community.
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