Diversifying Funding for Legal Aid in the U.S.

This case study is part of the OGP Justice Policy Series, Part I: Access to Justice.

On the eve of adopting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in September 2015, the United States formally launched a federal interagency effort to integrate civil legal aid into executive branch-led efforts that promote access to health and housing, education and employment, family stability, and public safety. The White House Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable (LAIR) brings over 20 federal agencies together to identify ways in which civil legal aid can advance federal priorities through four primary strategies: leveraging federal resources to strengthen civil legal aidMore and better information about aid helps partner countries and donor institutions plan and manage aid resources more effectively, parliaments and civil society to hold governments accountable for t..., facilitating strategic collaboration between civil legal aid and law enforcement, developing policy recommendations that improve access to justiceAccessible justice systems – both formal and informal – ensure that individuals and communities with legal needs know where to go for help, obtain the help they need, and move through a system tha... More, and advancing evidence-based research, data collection, and analysis of access to justiceTo address barriers that prevent citizens from having their justice needs met, OGP participating governments are working to expand transparency, accountability, and inclusion into all systems of justi... interventions. This activity, which enhances government transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More and civil society participation, was included as an OGP commitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action... in the U.S. Third National Action PlanAction plans are at the core of a government’s participation in OGP. They are the product of a co-creation process in which government and civil society jointly develop commitments to open governmen.... Importantly, LAIR agencies have worked across different presidential administrations to connect civil legal aid to each administration’s priorities.*

*Note: Maha Jweied, one of the drafters of this paper, helped lead this commitment when she was with the U.S. Department of Justice.