Former Alaska Legal Services Corporation (ALSC) Executive Director and current Frontline Justice Founding CEO Nikole Nelson joins LSC President Ron Flagg for a conversation on using community justice workers to expand access to legal services on Talk Justice. She explains Alaska’s success with the initiative and discusses her vision for bringing justice workers to more communities. 

Experts discuss a new report on the causes and consequences of eviction in Montana, as well as the impact of eviction on U.S. children. The recently released “Montana Eviction Impact Report: Beyond Housing Affordability” surveyed evicted Montanans on the socioeconomic factors that led to their eviction and the impacts that it had on their household after the fact. Also, the author of a moving op-ed in the Salt Lake Tribune discusses his childhood experience with eviction.

Experts discuss building tools, running experiments and sharing information to help legal professionals better understand uses for generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the legal field on this episode of Talk Justice. Host Cat Moon is joined by Sam Harden, program manager at Pro Bono Net, and Shellie Reid, manager of Legal Services National Technology Assistance Project.

Experts discuss the status of alternative legal service delivery models, the various forces pushing regulatory reform forward and the biggest obstacles to changing the legal system on LSC’s “Talk Justice” podcast. Inspired by a recent report from the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS), “Community & Cooperation: Action Steps Toward Unlocking Legal Regulation,” host Cat Moon brought Stacy Rupprecht Jane and Lucian Pera together for a conversation that approaches regulatory reform from diverse angles.

Experts discuss how legal services contribute to veteran suicide prevention on LSC's “Talk Justice” podcast. The most recent data places the veteran suicide rate at 57% higher than non-veterans. Research indicates that social factors contribute to veterans’ suicide risk. Many of these factors that harm veterans’ mental health relate to civil legal problems that can be addressed with the help of an attorney. For more information on veterans’ legal needs and helpful resources, visit lsc.gov/spotlight-veterans-rights.

In recognition of Pro Bono Week, experts discuss new developments in legal aid pro bono engagements on LSC's Talk Justice. The conversation highlights the JPMorgan Chase Pro Bono Fellowship and partnership with Northeast New Jersey Legal Services, as well as a look at the past decade of LSC’s Pro Bono Innovation Fund.

Legal aid lawyers discuss the challenges to meeting clients’ needs for domestic violence-related legal services as cases rise on LSC's “Talk Justice.” October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. LSC recently released its annual publication “By the Numbers: The Data Underlying Legal Aid Programs,” which provides national and state-level trend data. The report shows a 9% increase in cases involving domestic violence between 2021 and 2022. This continues a concerning trend of increasing domestic violence cases over the past decade. 

Pioneers of New Mexico’s court scribe program discuss how the program makes the courts more accessible on the latest episode of LSC's “Talk Justice.”Language access has long been a priority of New Mexico courts, but the recent addition of court scribes has taken this push for court accessibility to new levels. The scribing initiative allows people in qualifying situations to make an appointment with court staff or a trained volunteer who assists them in filling out their legal forms.

Experts discuss disaster preparedness and the role of civil legal aid in recovery on LSC’s “Talk Justice” podcast. September is National Disaster Preparedness Month. Since 2022 the federal government has issued more than 75 major disaster declarations across the U.S. and its territories. Yet even with the increasing frequency and ferocity of natural disasters, the overwhelming majority of Americans are unprepared if disaster strikes.

Experts from Bay Area Legal Services and Florida Youth SHINE discuss developments in access to legal information for foster youth on LSC's “Talk Justice” podcast. A new website and app, FosterPower, enables Florida’s foster youth to easily access information on their rights, and the state of Florida has passed a bill requiring more information for foster youth.