North Carolina Supreme Court commission to study legal access gaps
RALEIGH — A new North Carolina Supreme Court commission will meet for the first time June 5 as the state court system studies ways to expand access to legal services in areas with few attorneys.
The Supreme Court of North Carolina established the Commission on Practice Innovation to evaluate legal service gaps in areas designated as legal deserts. According to the North Carolina Judicial Branch, 48 of the state’s 100 counties are classified as legal deserts, meaning they have fewer than one attorney per 1,000 residents.
The commission’s first meeting is scheduled for June 5 at the North Carolina State Bar headquarters in Raleigh, in conjunction with the North Carolina Equal Access to Justice Commission.
The Judicial Branch said the commission will examine licensure models used in other jurisdictions, evaluate the regulatory framework for paralegals and paraprofessionals and assess alternative approaches that could address unmet legal needs while protecting the public.
Senior Associate Justice Anita Earls and Justice Phil Berger Jr. will serve as co-chairs of the commission.
The work could lead to recommendations on possible regulatory changes affecting how legal services are delivered in North Carolina. The announcement does not identify specific proposals but frames the commission’s work around access to justice, professional licensing and service delivery in underserved communities.
Legal access has become a growing issue in rural areas and lower-income communities, where residents may struggle to find or afford legal help in civil matters such as housing, family law, consumer disputes and benefits cases.
The commission’s creation places the issue within the state’s judicial policy agenda and could produce recommendations for the legal community after its review.
Editor’s note: This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.
