Civil Gideon and Confidence in a Just Society

Abstract

What needs doing to help the courts maintain the confidence of the society and to perform the task of insuring that we are a just society operating under a rule of law? For me the answer is easy to state, but until now, difficult to achieve. In short, we need a civil Gideon-that is, an expanded constitutional right to counsel in civil matters. Lawyers, and lawyers for all, are essential to the functioning of an effective justice system, whether it be to advise or to represent.