In 2021, the SCATJ Commission and our partners commissioned a comprehensive assessment of the civil legal needs landscape in South Carolina. The first of its kind in our state, the study set out to answer these questions: What are the legal needs of South Carolina’s low- and moderate income citizens? What resources are available to meet them? What can we do to increase access to justice for all in South Carolina?
Over the next 18 months, researchers from the UNCG Greensboro Center for Housing and Community Studies conducted interviews and focus groups, compiled geographic socioeconomic profiles, and analyzed data from South Carolina’s courts and legal aid providers. They produced a report that is both comprehensive and granular, answering the questions above and setting the stage for further conversation and problem solving around South Carolina’s most pressing access to justice needs.
The executive summary of the report appears below. Click here to read the full report.
Use the SC Civil Legal Needs Dashboard to explore statewide and county-level data.
You can help increase access to justice in South Carolina. Let’s get to work.
A launch event for this report was held at the South Carolina Supreme Court on February 21, 2023. Watch the recording here!
executive-summary
