Dispelling the Myth that Law Students Can Close the Justice Gap

Abstract

Recently, the idea that law students can bridge the “justice gap,” understood here as both the inability of low-income Americans to obtain civil legal services and the inadequacy of representation by overworked public defenders in criminal cases, has been gaining in popularity. This growing trend is embodied in the pro bono requirements imposed on bar applicants in a growing number of states. This Essay argues that the idea that law students can make a “significant” contribution to closing the existing justice gap overestimates the number of law students currently enrolled in our nation’s law schools and underestimates the volume of low-income Americans in need of legal services.