Message from our new Chair, Catherine Blakemore

Nearly 30 years ago, the California Access to Justice Commission was founded on the principle that “everyone should have equal access to justice”.  This foundational principle remains the cornerstone of our work and was affirmed this year by the legislature’s establishment of the Access Commission in statute-- recognizing the important role the Access Commission has in providing ongoing leadership to achieve full and equal access to justice for all Californians.

As the Chair, it is my privilege to work with diverse Commissioners representing all three branches of government, as well as judges, lawyers, professors, and business, labor, and civil leaders whose collaborative efforts remove barriers, develop innovations and expand resources so everyone can resolve their civil legal issue. 

In the year ahead, the Commission will continue the work identified in our strategic plan including: working to remove barriers to obtaining a verbatim record of court proceedings for all litigants; developing innovative ways for individuals facing serious health crises to get help with wills and other end of life legal planning from county law librarians and pro bono attorneys; and expanding ways to address the legal aid recruitment and retention crisis by implementing a tax-advantaged loan repayment assistance program for legal aid lawyers.  

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