Closing the Justice Gap: Does Diversity of the Attorney Workforce Matter?

Program: Unsolicited Grants Program
Grantee: University of San Diego
Grant Amount: $45,000

Summary of Grant Outcomes

This study investigated how the geographic diversity of the attorney workforce affects access to legal services for evictions in Los Angeles, CA. Previous studies have focused on the shortage of attorneys in rural regions and larger counties in California. Using county-level data disguises the fact that many low-income residents do not have access to affordable transportation or other resources that would allow them to seek legal services outside their neighborhoods. Of particular importance to low-income individuals are housing needs.

Using city-level and census-tract level data, findings reveal the existence of urban attorney deserts—areas in urban cities which lack access to key legal services. A detailed city-level analysis reveals that low-income residents need to travel many miles to reach an attorney that can represent them. Low-income residents may not have easy access to attorneys to assist them with evictions despite living in a city, Los Angeles, with thousands of attorneys. The shortage of attorneys practicing in modest and low-income neighborhoods is particularly acute for civil legal services such as landlord-tenant matters. Finally, legal services were over-concentrated in high income neighborhoods in Los Angeles.

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