FAST FACTS 

In Mississippi, between a third and half of the people who apply for Legal Services aid are turned away, said Jayne Buttross, chairperson of the Mississippi Legal Services Foundation. There are about 550,000 poor people eligible for services, and about 30 Legal Services attorneys available in Mississippi to provide those services.

Thousands of poor people have no financial means to go to court to seek help for civil legal issues, a member of the Mississippi Supreme Court told a diverse group of more than 30 people gathered Wednesday to discuss access to justice and work toward solutions.

"There are thousands and thousands of people out there who you don't know, who you will never know, who are depending on you. Don't lose sight of that," Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Jess H. Dickinson told the organizational meeting of the recently created Mississippi Access to Justice Commission. "You have a Court that is concerned about this problem and motivated to do whatever we can."

Chief Justice Jim Smith Jr. signed the order on behalf of the court creating the commission in June.

The commission on Wednesday discussed the existing system of civil legal services for the poor. Members talked about raising awareness about needs for legal services among the public and among attorneys who can help. They discussed the need to develop resources to pay for legal services.

Members of the judiciary, a representative of the governor, legislators, business and community leaders, members of the clergy and others who make up the 24-member Access to Justice Commission met with veteran legal services providers for about five hours at the Mississippi Bar Center in Jackson.

In Mississippi, between a third and half of the people who apply for Legal Services aid are turned away, said Jayne Buttross, chairperson of the Mississippi Legal Services Foundation. There are about 550,000 poor people eligible for services, and about 30 Legal Services attorneys available in Mississippi to provide those services.

One in five Mississippians and one in every three children live below the poverty level, said University of Mississippi School of Law Professor Deborah Bell, director of the law school's Housing Law Clinic. Slightly more than half of the households headed by women live in poverty. And many of those people who don't meet the longstanding federal definition of poverty level don't have enough money left over after living expenses to pay for legal needs, Bell said.

While federal funding for legal services for the poor has shrunk, efforts are under way to fill the gap in access with private practice lawyers.

About 1,500 Mississippi lawyers have agreed to volunteer their time to provide free legal services to needy people, said attorney Ben Piazza of Jackson, chair of the Board of Directors of the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project.

The state has about 6,000 lawyers who are eligible to provide pro bono services.

Jackson attorney Carlton Reeves, president-elect of the Magnolia Bar Association, said, "There are gaps and people are falling through those gaps. Attorneys hold the keys to the courthouse door."

Commission members expressed concerns about connecting needy people to sources of legal help. Many poor people don't know where to turn for legal help in the first place, Dickinson said.