Rule changes are designed to better help low-income and rural Georgians.
LaGrange attorney Luther Jones (center) gives a free consultation at a walk-in legal clinic on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
For decades, low-income and rural Georgians have fought civil court battles on their own, too poor or remote to hire a lawyer. Now, the state’s legal community has a new solution.
Judges, lawyers and court staff across Georgia have been studying how other states tackle what is known as the civil justice gap. It is a nationwide problem defined as the disparity between the civil legal needs of low-income Americans and the resources available to meet those needs.
tuohtiw htiw ot ot eht eht ,metsys thgir .noitatneserper elpoep fo evil lagel ecitsuj ni ni evah morf t’nod atad lanimirc seitnuoc lanoitutitsnoc livic sesac ,yenrotta na gnidrocca a ekilnU etatS snaigroeG .aigroeG raB tsomlA 000,03
raey htiw slliw sdnasuoht .sgniht tnanet ,troppus detneserper-fles ees cilbup elpoep rehto fo fo droldnal segduj gnivlovni ni sderdnuh ,secrovid ,setupsid ,stbed gnilaed ydotsuc remusnoc livic dlihc sesac ,stifeneb dna dna dna gnoma ,aigroeG hcaE
tuohtiw ot taht dnet terces on esol stnagitil sreywal ni .truoc s’tI
A“ htiw erehw reetnulov ot ot ”,trats ehs secivres dias stnediser tnecer elpoep dezinagro fo tol lagel wonk tsuj teg eerf rof gnirud t’nod ,rotcerid truoc snoitatlusnoc cinilc .syenrotta a puorT ,yelboM yasdniL s’ytnuoC
Lindsay Mobley, the court services director for Troup County, assists a resident at the third annual free legal clinic she has organized in LaGrange on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
esoht eht eht hcus ,etats secruoser hcaer dedivorp elpoep rehto stiforpnon .deen ynam gnidulcni ni pleh gnitsixe enoyreve scinilc t’nac yb tub sa dna ssorca hcuS secivreS ,margorP lageL aigroeG
deniart ot ot eht setats sredlohekats yllaiceps secivres detneserper-fles elur gnisoporp mrofrep rehto fo sreywalnon elpitlum ,stnagitil detimil lagel del si edulcni .pag rehtruf rof .od eettimmoc segnahc yb egdirb sa gniwolla a gnoW yehT emerpuS ,woN nailliMcM ecitsuJ aigroeG truoC alraC
eW“ tI“ tahw ew tnaw tnaw dlot ot ot ot ot ot emit eseht eseht eht eht ,taht setats etats etats trats demees ”.smelborp rehto ylirassecen ekil gninrael tsal evah doog morf tsrif ”,rehtie gniod od t’ndid t’ndid tub neeb eb eb sserdda a ehT nailliMcM .noitutitsnoC-lanruoJ atnaltA
yaw gnol elttil pleh og nac a A
nihtiw nihtiw nehw erew pu ot ot yeht ereht eht eht eht naht emos .os elpoep elpoep edistuo ro nepo no enin dedeen setunim denil lagel ni ni ,ruoh reh dah teg eerf tsrif nezod snoitatlusnoc cinilc ta devirra ecivda elba .m.a a a erehT .rebotcO eroM yelboM egnarGaL lliwdooG yadirF retneC reeraC 9 51
er’eW“ gnireetnulov owt raey-driht meht eht eht ,stneduts dias thgir gnitniop lagelarap eno fo sreywal wal .reterpretni ni ”,noitcerid cinilc yenrotta ta dna edisgnola a a hsinapS rehtuL egnarGaL ,senoJ 31
hcihw tahw ot ot yeht yeht eht ekat enoemos elpmis gniwohs dluohs dias tnediserp tuo ro fo fo deen lagel s’ti smrof llif ecnedive stnemucod ,truoc sa sa dna ,semitemoS ,yelboM aigroeG truoC licnuoC .srotartsinimdA
Legal resources are made available to Georgians with civil court cases who can’t afford a lawyer. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
,raey drow sreetnulov hguorht driht eht eht laicos dias stiurcer no fo fo fo htuom .aidem ylegral sti ni sah nworg morf ,cinilc launna dna dna gnisitrevda ytisrevinU puorT ehS secivreS loohcS margorP yelboM lageL .waL aigroeG aigroeG ytnuoC raB ,noitaicossA
sraey ylgnorw .kcerw htiw ohw saw saw gniyrt dlot ot esoht eht thguos lareves tnediser no fo fo nekatsim rettam devlovni ni ytitnedi s’eh pleh eh rof laed rac gnieb neeb gnoma retfa desucca a a .tcO egnarGaL rewothgiH eH cirtnelraC CJA .42
tI“ saw yrev elbanu ot ot eht taht dias elpitlum reywal ”,gnitadimitni dedulcni ni flesmih s’eh gnivah dnif etipsed dnefed ,truoc gnillac neeb stpmetta gnidda tuoba a etatS rewothgiH .raB
skrow htiw ohw eht eht elims dias deraperp no tfel ni ,letoh sih mih .gniraeh eerf rof .ecaf truoc noitatlusnoc cinilc a a a ,rewothgiH eH rebmeceD
Carlentric Hightower, a LaGrange resident, got help with an upcoming hearing in a yearslong court case when he attended a free legal services clinic at the Goodwill Career Center on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
erew erew reetnulov ot ereht .meht eht ticilos tneserper stnapicitrap ro yllaiciffo ton stneilc syenrotta derussa cinilC
yehT“ ohw erehw owt ot ot ot yeht s’ereht meht eht taht gnihtemos emos emos dias ”,nosrep yap .tuo ro eno fo ton deen depleh evah evah morf denialpxe noitatcepxe noitcennoc syenrotta snareteV AGU ,htimS lageL waL nahtE cinilC
lanoisseforp fo wen lagel dnik a gnicudortnI
detimiL“ t’now lliw ot eht taht sksat etats emos moor deifilauq renoititcarp naicisyhp mrofrep ro fo fo esrun gnikam lagel reywal wal ni evah rof tnelaviuqe snoisivne seerged eettimmoc .secnatsmucric sriahc niatrec tub eb .tnatsissa a a esehT ehT ”srenoititcarP nailliMcM desneciL lageL
lliw lairt siht eht eht etats ylwols snoitadnemmocer desahp no tnanet-droldnal gnivlovni neppah desucof tsrif gnirud .setupsid tbed remusnoc ylevitavresnoc s’eettimmoc egnahc sesac yb era dna dna detpoda a emerpuS fI ,truoC
emulov ot eht eht eht hcus tnacifingis detneserper-fles dias dedivorp gniraperp ,srenoititcarp laitnetop no fo ekam .stnagitil lagel gnivlovni gnidulcni tcapmi hgih pleh sah ,stnemucod nommoc eettimmoc livic sesac yb a ehT
Emma Hetherington, a professor at the University of Georgia School of Law, assists people seeking legal help at a volunteer clinic in LaGrange on Oct. 24. (Arvin Temkar / AJC)
ot emit eerht eht eht .lufsseccus yduts llits ,setats ralimis dias dias tcejorp smargorp laitnetop tolip rehto wen elttil nwonk ti si latnemercni gnidulcni ni ni .tcapmi fi ylriaf dnapxe tnereffid seitinummoc s’eettimmoc era hcaorppa dna dna dna swolla tuoba a ,notgnihsaW ehS ,atosenniM nailliMcM aigroeG anozirA
gnireetnulov dednapxe yenrotta dna dezivitnecnI
,krow nehw reetnulov drawot ot yeht eht .taht ,detseggus setats dluohs dias eviecer orp rehto reffo yrotadnam lagel esaercni .stroffe noitacude od tiderc eettimmoc onob syenrotta gnimia evitca tI s’aigroeG 005,43 42
htiw htiw llew owt ot .siht sdriht eht naht setats secivres dias ylhguor dednemmocer edivorp ssecorp etats-fo-tuo fo erom srebmem ,sesnecil ,sesnecil lagel sreywal evitcani ni evah .eerf rof rof syenrotta sa sa osla gniwolla a yehT aigroeG aigroeG eettimmoC 006,2
ohw syaw ot ot ot hguorht etats secivres .loohcs dias rosseforp elpoep strap tuo fo fo ton gnikool lagel wal sti evah og rof erehwyreve enod rotcerid did niatrec evrac yb eb srab ta era dna a snareteV AGU ,rrehcS lageL waL ,cinilC xelA
s’tI“ .dias s’ti ”,lufpleh eh gnineppah dna ydaerla ydaerla
University of Georgia School of Law professor Alex Scherr and third-year student Gordon Wayne offer free legal advice at a clinic in LaGrange on Oct. 24. (Arvin Temkar / AJC)
tuohtiw ohw hcihw erew .etisbew stnaw yletamitlu ot esoht rieht eht eht etats ecivres dias troper ,snoitadnemmocer .ytilauq dehsilbup cilbup deniltuo no no deen srebmem ti ni pleh rof kcabdeef dnapxe yltnerruc truoc gnisimorpmoc era gnizylana a emerpuS nailliMcM s’truoC eettimmoC
eW“ ohw ot ot esoht yeht ,meht taht taht erus ehs .dias tneserper srenoititcarp srenoititcarp elpoep ro deen gnikam lagel sreywal ,ecitsuj evah evah denrecnoc ”,tnetepmoc nac tub eb era osla ssecca tuoba
Journalist Rosie Manins is a legal affairs reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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