Mapping barriers to legal services

Identifying legal deserts

By using GIS mapping to layer and sort data, this resource shows disparities in legal services in select states.

GIS technology helps courts gain deeper insights into the needs of people living in 'legal deserts' — areas where people may face challenges accessing legal resources and services — by considering access-to-justice risk factors such as:

• the number of attorneys compared to the population,
• distance to a courthouse,
• poverty rates,
• limited English proficiency, and
• the absence of internet or broadband connectivity.

By identifying and analyzing legal deserts, court leaders, policymakers, researchers, and community advocates can develop targeted strategies to address the gaps in legal service availability and better understand the geographic dimensions of access to justice. 

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