Poor and disenfranchised communities around the world lack access to justice. A growing, worldwide legal empowerment movement is working to expand access to justice and legal information through policy changes, education, and the expansion of job categories in the legal services market. Lawyers are no longer considered the only source of legal information. Rather, justice practitioners and community paralegals, akin to community health workers, nurse practitioners and physicians’ assistants in the health care field, are charting a new course by equipping people with knowledge about and assistance with the laws and systems that impact them.
The area of immigration law provides a timely example of a space in which legal information is desperately needed. Migrants and refugees facing the justice system deserve advocates. Yet, most migrants and refugees do not have access to a lawyer or other advocate. The problem requires an innovative approach.
Immigration advocates can provide the needed legal assistance. Through a new online educational program, immigrant advocates can be trained to provide needed legal assistance. A new educational program is an example of how technology supports scalable and affordable education. Many people are passionate about helping migrants, but lack the knowledge and skills needed to offer support. Through online education, we can tap into that desire and build onto a growing movement to empower people with knowledge about and access to justice.