10/31/2024—Chief Justice Establishes Committee to Address Civil Justice Gap

Atlanta, October 31, 2024 - Supreme Court of Georgia Chief Justice Michael P. Boggs has ordered the creation of the Supreme Court Study Committee on Legal Regulatory Reform to address the state's civil justice gap, which prevents many rural or low-income Georgia residents from acquiring legal representation in non-criminal matters.

The 13-member committee, chaired by Justice Carla Wong McMillian and vice-chaired by Georgia Court of Appeals Presiding Judge Stephen Louis A. Dillard, is charged with developing recommendations by June 2025 that would bolster access to civil legal services for rural or low-income Georgians by giving them more options while also maintaining high standards for legal practitioners.

"The Supreme Court of Georgia is vested by the Georgia Constitution with the responsibility to regulate the practice of law to ensure that the public is protected and that the people of Georgia receive competent legal counsel. But there may be narrow areas where people who are not lawyers can be trained to serve clients who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford lawyers or who live in areas without lawyers. There also may be ways to encourage new or existing lawyers to provide their services to indigent residents or in legal deserts," Justice McMillian said. "This committee will use data-driven methodologies to be innovative in exploring and discerning what regulatory reforms could address the issues preventing Georgians from receiving critical civil legal services without diminishing consumer protections."

The committee's membership is comprised of judges from various classes of state courts and attorneys from diverse practice areas, and the committee will seek input from other state court judges, lawyers, community partners, and the public.

"Being from Central Georgia, I understand just how crucial it is to carefully examine this important issue," said Presiding Judge Dillard, who is from Macon, Ga. "I look forward to working closely with Justice McMillian and many other stakeholders to come up with meaningful solutions that will make justice more accessible and improve the lives of our fellow Georgians."

"We share the Supreme Court of Georgia's desire to explore innovative opportunities to serve the citizens of Georgia while balancing the mission of the legal profession: to protect the public and improve the quality of legal services," said State Bar of Georgia President Ivy Cadle, who appointed five of the committee's members. "We appreciate the opportunity to partner with the Court in evaluating opportunities and look forward to engaging the members of the State Bar in that effort."

The National Center for State Courts will provide technical assistance to support the committee's work.