A Call for Access to Justice
This summer, I had the privilege of standing in Alaska’s wide-open landscapes; breathtaking, vast, and humbling. But as expansive as the view is, the gaps are just as stark when it comes to access to legal resources. Legal deserts, areas with little to no legal support, mirror these expanses, leaving communities underserved and vulnerable.
In many rural and remote regions, the nearest attorney may be hours away. According to the ABA, nearly 40% of counties in the U.S. have less than one lawyer per 1,000 residents. This means families seeking legal guidance, businesses in need of contracts, or individuals facing disputes often go without representation. The result is too often silence, delay, or outright injustice.
Access to justice (“A2J”) is about more than just attorneys; it’s about resources, education, and empowerment. Just as communities in Alaska innovate to survive extreme distances and climates, our profession must innovate to bridge deserts of justice with creativity, technology, and collaboration.
Examples of solutions include:
- Technology: Remote hearings, online dispute resolution platforms, and AI-driven legal tools.
- Alternative Legal Service Providers: Licensed paralegals, legal navigators, and community justice advocates.
- Partnerships: Collaboration between government, law schools, nonprofits, and local organizations.
The metaphor of Alaska’s wild expanse is not just poetic, it’s practical. When we see the gap, we must ask: what bridges are we building? How can we, as legal professionals, ensure justice is not just for those who can afford proximity or privilege?
Call to Action:
Where have you noticed deserts in your own profession, places where resources run dry? Please share your thoughts and let’s keep this conversation alive.
For more on legal deserts in the U.S. and how Alaska fits into the mix, please read:
- Harvard Law School, Center on the Legal Profession: Legal Deserts
https://clp.law.harvard.edu/article/introducing-the-august-2025-issue/ - Iowa State University article, More than half of rural counties are legal deserts, ISU study finds
https://www.news.iastate.edu/news/more-half-rural-counties-are-legal-deserts-isu-study-finds - Legal Deserts: A Multi-State Perspective on Rural Access to Justice
https://journals.law.harvard.edu/lpr/wp-content/uploads/sites/89/2019/04/4.-Legal-Deserts.pdf - Idaho Law Review, Presiding Over a Legal Desert: The Disappearance of the Rural Attorney
https://digitalcommons.law.uidaho.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1274&context=idaho-law-review - Alaska Law Review, Community Justice Workers: Part of the Solution to Alaska’s Legal Deserts
https://scholarship.law.duke.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1661&context=alr