Submitting public comment on the CJW proposal

On Wednesday, July 8th, the California State Bar opened the public comment period for the CJW proposal. The public comment period will end August 22, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. 

We encourage everyone interested in the CJW model to connect with us to learn more before commenting. To field questions and suggestions from our community, we are currently conducting listening sessions with groups of stakeholders that include leaders from legal services organizations, members of the wider nonprofit community, and others within the legal sector.

 

The working group is hosting a bigger "everyone invited" session on Thursday, August 13th at 10am. Please register here!
 
We are working with the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence and California Association of Nonprofits for two info sessions for their respective members. If you are active in either, you may register through these organizations.

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As of July 28th, the working group has released two guides to submitting your public comment. These guides is are works in progress as we continue to learn from our community. Feel free to reach out to Reann Pacheco, rpacheco@laaconline.org, with any questions or suggestions.

• CJW Public Comment Guide for Authorized Legal Services Organizations

• CJW Public Comment Guide for Non-Legal Nonprofit Partners

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You can find the link to comment here.
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What is being proposed
The California Supreme Court has issued a proposed set of rules that would allow non-attorneys to give legal advice under the supervision of nonprofit legal aid attorneys. The State Bar of California has opened a 45-day public comment period on the proposed rules, which define the scope of services CJWs may provide, training or certification requirements for the program, and the settings in which CJWs can assist clients. 
 
Why this matters for nonprofits and your clients
Community Justice Workers can play a critical role in expanding access to justice by helping clients complete forms, understand processes, and navigate complex systems. Depending on how the rule is finalized, it could:
 

• Expand support by formally recognizing CJWs that could work at organizations like your to enable broader assistance to clients

• Provide protections by limiting services to selected areas of law 

• Create requirements including training and supervision by legal aid attorneys to ensure high-quality services are provided

• Create professional development pathways for community members with lived experience

Your organization’s ability to continue providing effective, community-based support in partnership with legal aid offices may therefore be directly affected, in a positive way, if this rule is adopted. 
 
You Can Take Action: Submit a Public Comment
We strongly encourage nonprofits and advocates to submit public comments to ensure that the final rule reflects the realities of community-based service delivery and expand meaningful access to justice.
 
When submitting comments, consider:

• How advocates similar to CJWs are currently used in your organization

• The impact of the proposed rule on your clients

• Recommendations to strengthen and expand access to services

 
Please feel free to share this information with your networks. If you have questions or would like to coordinate advocacy efforts, don’t hesitate to reach out to Katy Burnett (kburnett@laaconline.org). We appreciate your continued commitment to advancing access to justice. 
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We will be sharing additional guidance soon on how to make your public comment the best it can be, so check back in the coming week for more info!