Texas Supreme Court Calls on Nonlawyers to Shrink Justice Gap

After an exhaustive, 22-month process, the Supreme Court of Texas on Tuesday issued a set of preliminary rules that will allow select nonlawyers — licensed paraprofessionals and court-access assistants — to provide limited civil legal services to low-income Texans. The order places the efforts of the Texas Access to Justice Commission and SCOTX at the finish line for this slice of their ongoing effort to help close the civil justice gap in Texas.

Natalie Posgate talked with Texas Supreme Court Justice Brett Busby about how this project began and Legal Services Corporation President Ron Flagg about the success of this model at a national level.