Message from the Chair

Dear Visitor, 

• In 2005 and 2008, the Commission surveyed circuit judges. It asked them to describe and quantify the issues they encountered with self-represented litigants and to suggest ways to bring greater efficiencies into the civil justice system. Based on feedback from these surveys, the Commission now promotes free online legal resources for low-income Arkansans, including automated documents for simple legal matters.
   
• In 2005 and 2009, the Commission succeeded in its legislative efforts to help fund legal aid. By teaming with Sen. Paul Miller, Sen. Robert Thompson, and Rep. Steve Harrelson, the Commission has succeeded in bringing $855,000 annually to legal aid.
   
• In 2005, the Commission supported the revision of Model Rule 6.1 of the Arkansas Rules of Professional Conduct for attorneys. The rule now encourages a goal of 50 hours of pro bono work per year for each attorney, and it suggests a contribution level in addition to volunteering. It also clarifies the types of clients, cases, and other legal work that qualifies as pro bono work.
   
• In 2006, the Commission held town hall meetings in each of the state’s four congressional districts. Each U.S. representative attended his district’s meeting. These gatherings allowed attorneys, judges, agency heads, clients, and the public to express their ideas and opinions about access to the civil justice system. Because of these meetings, for the first time in 2006, all four Arkansas members of Congress voted to increase the level of funding for the Legal Services Corporation.
   
• In 2006, the Commission produced “Forging the Road to Civil Justice,” a DVD used to educate the justice community and public. It begins with Justice Annabelle Clinton Imber of the Arkansas Supreme Court detailing the need for civil justice in the state. It also features three client stories that focus on the work done by legal aid attorneys and pro bono volunteers. Commissioners and legal aid managers show this DVD during speaking engagements across the state.
   
• In 2009, the Commission conducted Arkansas’s first-ever “Promise of Justice Campaign.” This campaign raised almost $300,000 for the two legal aid providers in our state.
   
• In 2009, the Commission hosted its first statewide conference, the “Promise of Justice Conference.” Attendees heard presentations about the need for equal access to civil legal services in Arkansas. They also divided into groups and discussed problems that low-income Arkansans face in the areas of family, consumer, housing, and public benefits law, as well as possible solutions to those problems. The Commission plans to publish the results of these discussion groups in 2010.