Commission on Access to Justice

1. Creation, purpose. The supreme court shall appoint a commission on access to justice. The commission shall: (a) Assess current and future needs for civil legal services for persons of limited means in Nevada. (b) Develop statewide policies designed to support and improve the delivery of legal services. (c) Improve self-help services and opportunities for proper person litigants and increase pro bono activities. (d) Develop programs to increase public awareness of the impact that limited access to justice has on other government services and on society. (e) Investigate the availability of and pursue increased public and private financing to support legal services organizations and other efforts to provide legal services to persons of limited means. (f) Recommend legislation or rules affecting access to justice to the supreme court. 2. Composition. The access to justice commission shall be composed of the chief justice of the supreme court or the chief justice’s designate and the following members, to be appointed by the supreme court to two-year terms: (a) One district judge each from the Second and the Eighth Judicial District Courts. At least one of those judges must be assigned to the family division of the district court. (b) One district judge to be selected from the First, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, or Ninth Judicial District Courts. (c) One limited jurisdiction judge, who shall serve as liaison to the Nevada Judges of Limited Jurisdiction. (d) One public attorney representative designated by the Nevada Attorney General. (e) One representative each from the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, Nevada Legal Services, Southern Nevada Senior Law Program, Volunteer Attorneys for Rural Nevadans, Washoe Legal Services, and the designated tax exempt bar foundation pursuant to SCR 216 . (f) One representative each from the Clark County Bar Association, the State Bar of Nevada Board of Governors, the Washoe County Bar Association, and a rural County Bar Association. (g) One student representative of the Public Interest Law Association or the State Bar of Nevada Young Lawyers Section, and one faculty representative from the William S. Boyd School of Law of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, designated by the dean. (h) Five persons who are not members of the legal profession, unless appointed under subsection 2(i) of this rule. (i) Two at-large representatives. The Commission shall make appointments under this subsection as deemed necessary and proper to facilitate diversity, including statewide regional representation, other bar representation (e.g., specialty or federal, etc.), address trends in access to justice, and fulfill the Commission’s purpose. The commission may appoint additional members, voting or non-voting, as deemed necessary and proper to facilitate the maximum effectiveness of the Commission. Subcommittees comprised of voting and non-voting members may be appointed at the discretion of the chair. 3. Staffing. The access to justice commission will be staffed by an executive director who is employed by the State Bar. 4. Meetings. The commission shall meet at least semi-annually and shall have additional meetings, as the commission deems appropriate. The commission may form separate subcommittees to address specific issues. [Added; effective June 15, 2006; amended; effective February 13, 2019.]