Frontline Justice

Frontline Justice Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Frontline Justice, Nonprofit Organization, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Inc, 120 Broadway Suite 3475, New York, NY.

Frontline Justice, a nonpartisan civic moonshot of OAP and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Inc., equips trusted community advocates to become justice workers so that every American can access affordable, effective civil legal help for everyday issues.

Access to justice shouldn't depend on your ZIP code, and when the University of Tennessee Winston College of Law hosted ...
06/11/2026

Access to justice shouldn't depend on your ZIP code, and when the University of Tennessee Winston College of Law hosted its 2026 Orr Symposium, “Closing the Rural Justice Gap: Innovation and Regulatory Reform,” legal professionals, leaders, and scholars discussed how to address the justice gap in communities where lawyers are far too few in rural areas.

As Matthew Burnett states, “We’re not going to lawyer our way out of the access-to-justice crisis, and we’re certainly not going to lawyer our way out of the rural access-to-justice crisis.”

Having the tough conversations that include policymakers, researchers, and legal partners is necessary to get to the root of the problem and to envision solutions, such as community justice workers, to expand access to legal representation.

You can read a recap of the convening at https://zurl.co/ROhNB.

At this year’s American Bar Association / National Legal Aid & Defender Association Equal Justice Conference, Frontline ...
06/09/2026

At this year’s American Bar Association / National Legal Aid & Defender Association Equal Justice Conference, Frontline Justice had the pleasure of participating in four sessions, including:

👉 “State Court Leadership Views on Authorized Justice Workers”
Panelists: Matthew Burnett, Alyx Mark, Elizabeth Chambliss, Rebecca Sandefur, and Cassie Chambers Armstrong

👉 “Community-Based Legal Innovation: Research on Justice Worker Programs in Indian Country”
Panelists: Sarah Carver, Cody Nelson, Matthew Burnett, Rebecca Sandefur

👉 “Breaking Bread, Changing Futures: Community Solutions for Youth Justice”
Panelists: Nikole Nelson, Alicia Mitchell-Mercer, Jim Copple, Rachel Royal

👉 “Bridging the Justice Gap with Community Justice Workers: Lessons from Texas and Beyond”
Panelists: Nikole Nelson, Cristian Sánchez, Bethany Carson

Each session left us with a unique angle on the current access-to-justice landscape, the critical gaps that remain, key findings from emerging research, and insights into existing community justice worker models.

We’re thankful to have been in the company of leaders, advocates, and changemakers focused on the collective impact of expanding access to justice.

🚨 New Resource Alert!Groundwork has updated its resource chart, which clarifies the differences among community justice ...
06/03/2026

🚨 New Resource Alert!

Groundwork has updated its resource chart, which clarifies the differences among community justice workers, allied legal professionals, paralegals, and court navigators.

Join Groundwork and access the resource at https://zurl.co/63mGM.

This chart breaks down the distinctions by authorization, scope of practice, education requirements, and more. Understanding the difference in roles can help strengthen collaboration, reduce confusion, and support more thoughtful program design.

Drop a comment below and let us know:
👉 Where do you see overlap between these roles?
👉 Any new interesting facts you learned from this chart?
👉 Are there additional categories we should include?

From CEB's recent article on legal aid groups petitioning California, “According to the State Bar’s 2024 justice gap stu...
06/02/2026

From CEB's recent article on legal aid groups petitioning California, “According to the State Bar’s 2024 justice gap study, 55% of Californians experienced at least one civil legal issue in the past year in 2019, with higher rates among those earning below 125% of the federal poverty level. Despite this need, 85% received no legal assistance or only inadequate assistance, the State Bar found.”

As Nikole Nelson states, “We aren’t going to be able to lawyer our way out of this.”

A program focused on training community justice workers can dramatically increase access to legal help for people navigating issues like housing, debt, family law, and employment.

Mirroring Alaska’s model, the state’s program helped pioneer a community justice worker program through the Alaska Legal Services Corporation in 2019, where Nikole previously served as executive director and adviser to California’s community justice worker working group.

To date, the program has helped secure about $23 million in SNAP benefits, demonstrating the real impact community-based legal support can have. If California authorizes a similar program, this can be life-changing to many.

Read the CEB’s full article at https://zurl.co/GhBst.

☕ Get ready for our next Community Café on June 3, followed by a group chat debrief on Groundwork. We’re looking forward...
06/02/2026

☕ Get ready for our next Community Café on June 3, followed by a group chat debrief on Groundwork. We’re looking forward to Alison Paul and Hayden Ramsey sharing their insights on the development of the Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA) community justice worker program.

Pre-join the Community Café Debrief group here: https://zurl.co/t74SW.

After the Café, you can ask follow-up questions and hear how others are applying Montana’s insights to their work.

Haven’t registered for the Community Café yet? Sign up at https://zurl.co/9JiRR.

New approaches and stronger support systems are needed to help bridge gaps in legal support.You can read more about the ...
05/28/2026

New approaches and stronger support systems are needed to help bridge gaps in legal support.

You can read more about the discussions happening in Wisconsin in the article, “The Lawyer Shortage: Lessons from Alaska for Wisconsin,” at https://zurl.co/T8tKm.

More leaders, organizations, and communities are recognizing the importance of community-centered solutions for meaningful change. While conversations have often centered on lawyers versus community justice workers, the reality is that most people have no help at all, and community justice workers can offer an alternative to that truth.

People in rural communities in Wisconsin and nationwide have dealt with and continue to face legal challenges alone, resulting in less-than-desirable outcomes.

Authorizing programs that offer trained, trusted legal advocates to guide people can help close the justice gap and expand access to justice.

Nearly 8 in 10 Americans perceive the U.S. legal system as unfair, according to research by Equal Justice Works. Many Am...
05/26/2026

Nearly 8 in 10 Americans perceive the U.S. legal system as unfair, according to research by Equal Justice Works. Many Americans view the legal system as difficult to navigate, unaffordable, and out of reach without the benefit of legal representation.

That’s why community-based solutions matter.

Community justice work is about helping people understand and assert their rights while building systems people can actually navigate and trust.

Research, pilot programs, and real-world outcomes continue to show the impact of community justice workers. By implementing pathways for these frontline helpers, we can increase access when needed.

Thank you, Verna Williams, for addressing the justice gap and highlighting the work of community justice workers.

You can read Verna’s full write-up at https://zurl.co/9s0O1.

Join us for our next Community Café on June 3, featuring special guests from the Montana Legal Services Association (MLS...
05/22/2026

Join us for our next Community Café on June 3, featuring special guests from the Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA), Alison Paul, Executive Director, and Hayden Ramsey, Community Justice Worker Project Coordinator.

They will discuss the new Montana Supreme Court order that authorizes community justice workers.

Register by visiting https://zurl.co/r5CpT.

In addition, Alison and Hayden will share how they succeeded in getting approval from the Montana Supreme Court and their plans for growing the program.

Looking forward to seeing you all in June!

🥳 Frontline Justice would like to provide a special congratulations to our COO, Dr. Alicia Mitchell-Mercer, on her appoi...
05/19/2026

🥳 Frontline Justice would like to provide a special congratulations to our COO, Dr. Alicia Mitchell-Mercer, on her appointment to the North Carolina Supreme Court’s Commission on Practice Innovation.

The new Commission, co-chaired by Associate Justices Anita Earls and Phil Berger, Jr., will study alternative approaches to legal licensure and legal service delivery, including licensure models, the regulatory framework for paralegals and paraprofessionals, and how new practice models may affect the quality and availability of legal services across North Carolina.

Alicia brings years of North Carolina access-to-justice advocacy to this work. She previously served on the North Carolina State Bar’s Subcommittee Studying Regulatory Change, which examined limited licensing, regulatory sandboxes, and other reforms from 2021–2022.

We look forward to seeing the state help communities advance through new pathways and community-centered solutions to close the justice gap.

Progress requires collaboration, shared learning, and changemakers willing to step into the work together. We thank Matt...
05/18/2026

Progress requires collaboration, shared learning, and changemakers willing to step into the work together. We thank Matthew Burnett and Rebecca Sandefur for their ongoing support in building community-driven solutions that help to expand access to justice for all.

Their recent public comment is dedicated to increasing access to quality legal representation in Tennessee, reflecting justice in action.

You can read the full comment at https://zurl.co/olGfx.

As we continue to monitor Tennessee’s consideration of regulatory reform, we look forward to more states evaluating the current access-to-justice landscape and supporting alternative legal pathways, such as community justice workers.

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