Access to Justice
Civil Justice Access Initiative
The Civil Justice Access Initiative (CJAI) is a Higher Law program in Chicago that helps people understand the legal system and find the help they need. It includes legal education, community legal forums, workshops, and small-business legal help.
CJAI is supported in part by grant funding.
Knowledge → Agency → Opportunity
PATHWAY 01
Find Answers
Plain-language guides to common legal questions.
PATHWAY 02
Attend a Program
Community forums, workshops, and Lunch & Learns.
PATHWAY 03
Request Guidance
Tell us what you’re facing, and we’ll help you find your next step. Eligibility depends on the program and its funding.
PATHWAY 04
Build With Us
Host a forum, join the Higher Law Network, or see where we need help.
Upcoming and live events from CJAI.
Live convenings, technical workshops, and community legal roundtables designed to accelerate systemic civil justice access across jurisdictional boundaries.
TODAY
Oct 08
2:00 PM EST : Hybrid Briefing Room
Appellate Pro Bono Roundtable: Civil Access in Federal Courts
Active panel exploring emergent precedent in unrepresented civil appeals, procedural bottlenecks, and structured pro bono intervention protocols.
UPCOMING
Oct 15
11:00 AM EST : Virtual Courtroom Track
Community Clinic: Housing Justice & Eviction Defense
Practical clinic pairing volunteer counsel with vulnerable tenants, deploying standardized pleading kits and emergency stay motions.
WORKSHOP
Oct 22
4:30 PM EST : Washington D.C. + Webcast
Public Interest Litigation Forum: Procedural Reform
Strategy roundtable on state court rules modernization, remote testimony access standards, and lowering self-represented litigant barriers.
Direct integration with the CJAI National Clearinghouse calendar
STEP ONE
Listen: Community Legal Forums
Everything starts with listening. In a community legal forum, a speaker explains one legal topic in plain language, and people in Chicago ask the questions that matter to them. What we hear shapes what we build next.
PROTOCOL DISCIPLINE
Direct Evidentiary Intake
Each forum convenes under strict confidentiality standards. Legal rapporteurs record patterns across housing disputes, municipal accountability, and consumer defense to shape strategic impact dockets.
STEPS TWO AND THREE
Build and Deliver
What we hear becomes programs, and the programs reach people where they are. Two pillars carry this work, and they carry equal weight.
Civil Justice
Helping people understand and use the civil legal system.
| Program | What it is | Resource |
|---|---|---|
| Education | Plain-language guides and classes on common legal questions. | Legal Resources → |
| Lunch & Learn | A short session over the lunch hour on one legal topic. | Events → |
| Workshops | Hands-on sessions on a single topic, with materials to take home. | Events → |
| Qualifying consultations | A consultation for people who meet a program’s eligibility requirements. | Learn More → |
| Expungement | Education on clearing records, and limited-scope help for people who qualify. | Expungement guide → Expungement events → |
| Limited-scope help | Help with one defined part of a legal matter, for people who qualify. | Learn More → |
Economic Empowerment
Helping people and small businesses build with confidence.
| Program | What it is | Resource |
|---|---|---|
| Business 101 | Plain-language basics for people starting or running a small business. | Events → |
| Legal Audit Days | Events where small-business owners can review their legal basics. | Events → |
| Business formation | Understanding the options for setting up a business. | Legal Resources → |
| Contracts | How agreements work and what to look for. | Legal Resources → |
| Licensing | What licenses a business may need. | Legal Resources → |
| Capital readiness | Preparing the legal side of a funding or financing application. | Legal Resources → |
Eligibility depends on the program and its funding.
STEP FOUR
Find Knowledge and Guidance
The resource library has plain-language guides on common legal questions. If you need more than a guide, a qualifying consultation can help you find your next step. Eligibility depends on the program and its funding.
Step Five
Connect: The Higher Law Network
The Higher Law Network is an interesting sign-up for people who want to be part of this work, including attorneys, community organizations, and neighbors. Signing up tells us you’re interested and lets us contact you about opportunities. It doesn’t match people with lawyers, and it doesn’t list anyone publicly.
What We Report
Accountability
The Civil Justice Access Initiative adheres to uncompromising standards of transparency, public governance, and systemic evaluation. As institutional research milestones conclude, comprehensive independent findings, audits, and program assessments will be published directly within this registry.
Opportunities
See current jobs, volunteer roles, consulting work, and RFPs.
CJAI is supported in part by grant funding.
Clarity Is Power
Find an answer, join a program, ask for guidance, or help build this work.
Find Answers · Attend a Program · Request Guidance · Build With Us
Educational information is not legal advice. AI tools are not attorneys. Representation is not guaranteed. Eligibility depends on the program and its funding.
Attorney advertising. The information on this website is general information, not legal advice. Contacting the firm does not create an attorney-client relationship.
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