A Message from Our Chairman: Strengthening Access to Justice for All
By John Levi
Each year, LSC’s Annual Report is a time to reflect on our efforts and initiatives, how they have carried forth our mission and how we have supported the work of civil legal services organizations nationwide.
As the ever-changing world brings about new challenges and new opportunities, LSC’s mission remains the same: to promote equal access to justice and to provide high-quality civil legal assistance to Americans who cannot afford a lawyer.
Poised between two historic milestones, LSC’s 50th anniversary and the 250th anniversary of the United States, 2025 invited reflection on LSC’s place in the larger picture of this nation.
A commitment to justice has been a core principle of our country since its founding. As Thomas Jefferson wrote, “the most sacred duties of a government [is] to do equal and impartial justice to all its citizens.” That very duty is inscribed in the preamble of our Constitution: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice [. . .].”
However, we know all too well that justice remains out of reach for many Americans, who simply cannot afford to hire a lawyer or access the help that they need to see their way through legal problems that put their home, family, job, finances or safety at risk.
Our government knew this when they established LSC with an act of Congress in 1974. Congress declared that, "providing legal assistance to those facing economic barriers serves the ends of justice and enhances opportunities for low-income Americans."
LSC’s most recent Justice Gap survey found that low-income Americans did not receive any or enough legal help for 92% of their civil legal problems.
This justice gap isn’t going away — not without our staunch dedication to improving access to legal services, and not without an investment commensurate with the needs of Americans.
I am proud to say that LSC’s impact is felt nationwide. The 129 organizations that LSC funds make up a beautiful patchwork quilt that blankets this country — serving people in every district in all 50 states, D.C. and the U.S. territories. We are grateful for strong bipartisan support from our legislators, who understand the life-changing impact that access to legal help has in their states and districts.
This report captures some of the key ways that LSC carried out this work in 2025 – fostering collaboration, uplifting local impacts, driving critical research and pushing important conversations forward.
We hosted the landmark 25th annual Innovations in Technology Conference (ITC) in Phoenix in 2025. Over 700 people attended the conference, reflecting LSC and the legal services communities’ increasing commitment to leveraging technology. The first-ever ITC was a gathering of just 32 people in 2000.
As legal services organizations increasing explore using artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline their workflows, build capacity and make plain language legal information more accessible to their communities, LSC has continued to create opportunities for knowledge-sharing and collaboration.
Before this year’s ITC, a pre-conference AI Summit for Legal Aid brought hundreds of eager attendees together to explore emerging innovations, and LSC’s Peer Learning Labs provided a space for legal services staff to discuss approaches to working responsibly with new technologies.
LSC also invested nearly $10 million in strengthening legal services through our Pro Bono Innovation Fund and Technology Initiative Grants, which provide game-changing support that helps organizations expand services, drive innovation and increase their capacity to deliver high-quality civil legal services.
We held multiple Access to Justice Forums, including a D.C. event that spotlighted the return on investment of legal services and a Michigan gathering focused on critical housing issues. In Florida, we highlighted vital disaster recovery services, and in Colorado we recognized 100 years of Colorado Legal Services.
A highlight from our celebration of Colorado Legal Services was the keynote address by the state’s Chief Justice Monica Marquez. She said that for the law to be more than "an empty promise," active legal representation for the vulnerable is necessary, noting that "justice is not self-executing" and requires collective societal investment.
We also hosted the 2025 CFO Bootcamp, which brought together nearly 120 Chief Financial Officers and fiscal administrators to explore methods for innovative financial planning and ensuring regulatory compliance.
In 2025, LSC published thought-provoking research and that created a deeper understanding of the impact of legal assistance and start meaningful conversations about how we can better address legal needs.
We released “The Economic Case for Civil Legal Aid,” an analysis of over 50 studies on the return on investment (ROI) of civil legal services, which found that legal aid returns an average of $7 for every $1 invested.
“Beyond Eviction: Landlords as Essential Partners in Housing Stability,” was a new research brief that explored critical factors surrounding evictions for all parties, and highlighted approaches to collaboration that can help build healthier communities.
As the culmination of the multi-year efforts of the Rural Justice Task Force, LSC published “Justice Where We Live: Promising Practices from Rural Communities.” Rural practitioners, scholars, and community leaders from across the country contributed to this report. It features remarkable models and approaches that LSC grantees and their community partners have undertaken to address the rural justice gap.
Because cutting-edge technology should not only be leveraged by the private sector, but for the benefit of vulnerable Americans, LSC published “The Next Frontier: Harnessing Technology to Close the Justice Gap.” In it, LSC presented seven recommendations that serve as a blueprint for advancing access to justice through technology in the report.
Another milestone this year was the 100th episode of the Talk Justice podcast. This show, supported by LSC’s Leaders Council, has brought together lawyers, scholars, corporate leaders, lawmakers and tech innovators for inspiring conversations that get to the heart of why legal services matter.
On one episode of Talk Justice, Lora Livingston, Senior Judge of the District Court of Texas, spoke about what LSC’s grants mean not only for the individuals they serve, but for the nation as a whole.
“Federal funding for legal services is an investment in the rule of law. It's an investment in our constitution. It's an investment to our fidelity, to the rule of law, to our democracy and to our citizens,” Judge Livingston said. “The day-to-day people who benefit from legal services—they benefit from the promise of justice for all that we've made as a society.”
LSC remains proudly committed to advancing the promise of justice for all Americans. I offer my sincere thanks to the incredible staff at LSC’s 129 grantee organizations for their significant contributions to LSC’s vital mission. Together, they make the promise of justice real for so many.
John G. Levi, Chairman
Legal Services Corporation