In July of 1995, programs funded by the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) were directed to participate in the development of a comprehensive (state) plan for the design, configuration and operation of legal services programs in each state. LSC wanted each grantee to work with other stakeholders to develop an integrated delivery system to more efficiently and effectively address the needs of indigent people in their state. The State Bar of South Dakota was an active participant in the state planning process and recognized that attorneys in South Dakota were ethically obligated to do what they could to provide legal assistance to indigent citizens who lacked the financial resources to hire lawyers to help them. Access to Justice, Inc. came about in 2002 as the result of ten years of state planning for legal services in South Dakota and was incorporated by the State Bar of South Dakota as a 501(c)(3) organization in 2005. Today, Access to Justice, Inc. is a statewide program based in Pierre, South Dakota.
