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NATIONAL CENTER FOR ACCESS TO JUSTICE INC
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 274250853 · Form 990 · FY2024 · Small ($100K-$1M) · ncaj.org
revenue
$515K
expenses
$571K
net assets
$389K
employees
2
volunteers
11
program ratio
65%
mission · from form 990

THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR ACCESS TO JUSTICE IS THE ACADEMICALLY AFFILIATED NATIONAL ORGANIZATION THAT RELIES ON DATA TO SUPPORT POLICY REFORMS THAT HELP PEOPLE OBTAIN ACCESS TO JUSTICE IN THE CIVIL AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEMS. THE CENTER PARTNERS WITH THE BAR, JUDICIARY, LAW SCHOOLS, THE LEGAL SERVICES COMMUNITY, AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS. THE CENTER'S TOOLS INCLUDE LITIGATION, BOOKS AND REPORTS, PUBLIC EDUCATION AND PUBLIC ADVOCACY, CONFERENCES, AND LEGISLATIVE DRAFTING.

profile · synthesized from sources

The National Center for Access to Justice (NCAJ) is a New York-based national organization that uses data and research to advance policy reforms improving access to justice in civil and criminal legal systems. It works with courts, legal aid providers, bar associations, and policymakers to promote best practices in areas like legal representation, language access, and fairness in fines and fees. The center produces reports, maintains the Justice Index, and advocates for systemic changes to reduce barriers to justice for low-income individuals and marginalized communities.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2020

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $0
    OTHER GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, JOURNALISTS, ACADEMICS, ACTIVISTS, AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN THEIR RESPECTIVE EFFORTS TO IMPROVE OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM. THE JUSTICE INDEX CURRENTLY FOCUSES ON FOUR CATEGORIES, SPECIFICALLY ATTORNEY ACCESS, SELF- REPRESENTED LITIGANT ACCESS, LANGUAGE ACCESS, AND DISABILITY ACCESS, BUT IS BEING EXPANDED INTO ADDITIONAL AREAS THAT MAY INCLUDE BEST POLICIES FOR REGULATING THE USE OF GOVERNMENT IMPOSED FINES AND FEES, BEST POLICIES FOR REGULATING PRO BONO, BEST POLICIES FOR STATES TO ASSURE THE PROTECTION OF IMMIGRANTS' RIGHTS. THE RESEARCH PROJECT WE ARE COMMITTED TO USING RESEARCH AND DATA(CONTINUED IN PART 4C)
  2. #2 $0
    TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF NEW MODELS FOR ACCESS TO JUSTICE. WE WORK WITH SOCIAL SCIENTISTS, CARRY OUT OUR OWN RESEARCH PROJECTS, SERVES S A LIAISON BETWEEN THE SOCIAL SCIENCE COMMUNITY AND THE LEGAL AID, BAR, AND COURT COMMUNITIES, AND ARE ALSO HELPING TO FACILITATE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF GOAL 16 OF THE UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AGENDA, WHICH CALLS ON ALL COUNTRIES TO DRAW ON THE "DATA REVOLUTION" TO ESTABLISH "INDICATORS" AS A MEANS OF MEASURING PROGRESS TO ASSURE ACCESS TO JUSTICE. THE NEW MODELS PROJECT IN RESPONSE TO THE JUSTICE GAP, COURTS AND COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES ARE IMPLEMENTING NEW MODELS INTENDED TO HELP EXPAND ACCESS TO JUSTICE. THESE INCLUDE NEW ROLES FOR JUDGES, NEW ROLES FOR LAWYERS, NEW ROLES FOR COURT OFFICIALS, NEW "SELF-HELP CENTERS", NEW COMPUTER KIOSKS WITH AUTOMATED FORMS, NEW "E-FILING OPTIONS", NEW APPLICATIONS THAT RELY ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, AND NEW ROLES FOR "NON-LAWYERS" (INCLUDING "NAVIGATORS", "COURT ADVOCATES", "COMMUNITY BASED PARALEGALS", "LIMITED LICENSED LEGAL TECHNICIANS"). THE MODELS ALSO INCLUDE "A CIVIL RIGHT TO COUNSEL." WE SUPPORT SELECTED NEW MODELS FOR ACCESS TO JUSTICE, INCLUDING THROUGH A) DEVELOPING NEW ROLES FOR NON-LAWYERS, B) WRITING A MEMORANDUM PERIODICALLY ON THE MOVEMENT TO EXPAND ACCESS TO JUSTICE, C) CARRYING OUT RESEARCH, INCLUDING AS A CONSULTANT TO SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH PROJECTS EXAMINING THE ROLE OF JUDGES AND NON-LAWYERS "NAVIGATORS" IN HOUSING COURT, D) MAINTAINING THE JUSTICE INDEX IN WHICH STATES ARE RANKED BASED ON THEIR DEGREE OF ADOPTION OF SELECTED BEST MODELS FOR ACCESS TO JUSTICE, AND ENGAGING WITH THE PRESS AND THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE PROS AND CONS OF THE NEW MODELS. LANGUAGE ACCESS COURTS FUNCTION ADEQUATELY ONLY WHEN JUDGES, WITNESSES, PARTIES AND OTHER PEOPLE UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER IN THE COURTROOM AND AT CLERKS' DESKS. WHEN PARTICIPANTS HAVE LIMITED PROFICIENCY IN ENGLISH, LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED. WE WORK TO ENSURE THAT COURTS, LAWYERS, LITIGANTS, AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF ADEQUATE LANGUAGE ACCESS IN THE COURTS. OUR JUSTICE INDEX INCLUDES A LANGUAGE ACCESS SUB-INDEX THAT IS ROUTINELY USED BY GOVERNMENT, COURT OFFICIALS, REPORTERS, AND THE PUBLIC TO PROMOTE SELECTED BEST PRACTICES FOR INTERPRETING AND TRANSLATING IN STATE COURT SYSTEMS. THE LEGAL EDUCATION PROJECT NCAJ EDUCATES THE NATIONAL LAW SCHOOL COMMUNITY AND THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCESS TO JUSTICE, DOING SO BY WORKING WITH ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS IN THE LEGAL ACADEMIC COMMUNITY. NCAJ ALSO INVITES STUDENTS, PROFESSORS, STAFF AND OTHERS TO PARTICIPATE IN ITS PROJECTS. .
named programs · 3 · from sources

What they call their work

Fines and Fees Project
Advocates for policy reforms to prevent the criminalization of poverty by promoting 17 key policies to ensure fair, affordable, and transparent monetary sanctions in state and local courts.
Justice Index
A data-driven tool that ranks U.S. states on policies promoting access to justice, including attorney access, self-represented litigant support, language access, and disability access, to encourage adoption of best practices.
Legal Empowerment / Unauthorized Practice of Law (UPL) Project
Seeks to reform restrictive UPL rules to allow trained non-lawyers to provide legal help, supports state-level reform efforts, and litigates as amicus in First Amendment challenges to outdated legal practice laws.
activities · 6 groups

What they do

  • Criminal Justice Policy Advocacy 4 activities
    • Conducts and supports empirical research on access to justice
      Partners with social scientists to conduct research, supports implementation of UN Sustainable Development Goal 16 indicators, and maintains datasets on civil legal aid attorney availability across states.
    • Conducts research on fines, fees, and court debt policies
      Develops the Fines and Fees Justice Index, documents state laws on ability-to-pay assessments, and publishes in-depth reports and data visualizations on court-imposed financial obligations in the U.S. justice system.
    • Conducts state-level assessments of access to justice
      Performed a comprehensive assessment of the New York State court system at the request of the Chief Judge, resulting in a public report released in 2020 that evaluated equal justice outcomes and policy implementation.
    • Develops and maintains the Justice Index to assess state-level access to justice policies
      Creates and expands the Justice Index, an empirical tool that scores and ranks all 50 states on a 0 to 100 scale across six policy areas—attorney access, self-representation, language access, disability access, fines and fees, and consumer debt litigation—using publicly available data and interactive visualizations.
  • Legal Education and Career Pipeline Programs 1 activity
    • Co-teaches academic seminar and partners with law schools on access to justice initiatives
      Co-teaches the Access to Justice Seminar annually with Fordham Law School and collaborates with students and faculty on related events and projects, building capacity within the legal education community.
  • Leadership & Policy Dialogue Forums 1 activity
    • Organizes international and domestic forums on access to justice
      Convenes the International Access to Justice Forum and other public conferences, bringing together hundreds of practitioners from over 20 countries and hosting events such as the AtJ Solutions Symposium and a mayoral forum on civil justice to examine systemic solutions and elevate public discourse.
  • Legal Profession Standards Advocacy 1 activity
    • Promotes best practices in court operations and technology
      Tracks and promotes effective court practices including plain language use, judicial conduct standards, and technology tools that support self-represented litigants.
  • Pro Bono Legal Representation and Support 1 activity
    • Supports innovation models to expand access to justice
      Advances new approaches such as the civil right to counsel, self-help centers, e-filing, AI applications, and expanded roles for non-lawyers—including navigators and limited licensed legal technicians—through research, policy memanda, and consultation.
  • Uncategorized 1 activity
    • Advocates for improved data transparency in consumer debt litigation
      Advocates for state courts to collect and publish annual data on consumer debt lawsuits and their dispositions to improve public understanding and policy responses to debt collection practices.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$515K
Contributions & grants$514K100%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$1K0%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$571K
Program expenses65%
Admin / overhead17%
Fundraising17%
Salaries & benefits$414K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$412K
Cash$361K
Investments$0
Liabilities$23K
Net assets$389K
Liquid reserves7.6 mo
4 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +31.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 2
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
DAVID UDELL EXECUTIVE DI 40 $231K
LAUREN A JONES LEGAL DIRECT 40 $164K
board members · 11
  • AMANDA SMITH — DIRECTOR
  • BRUCE GREEN — DIRECTOR
  • DAVID STIFFLER — DIRECTOR
  • JAMES B KOBAK — CHAIR
  • JOHN R CUTI — DIRECTOR
  • JULIE A TURNER — DIRECTOR
  • NORRINDA BROWN — DIRECTOR
  • OMARI L R MASON — DIRECTOR
  • PETER W TOMLINSON — TREASURER
  • SEYMOUR JONES — DIRECTOR
  • WILLIAM T RUSSELL JR — DIRECTOR
relationships · 43

Who they work with

  • 9/11 Memorial and Museum Partner — Jeh Charles Johnson serves on the board of directors.
  • AI Now Partner — Collaborates with AI Now on regulatory goals for AI as they pertain to access to justice.
  • American Arbitration Association Partner — Engages with the American Arbitration Association on AI and online dispute resolution.
  • American Bar Association Government — Recognized NCAJ's pro bono partners with the Pro Bono Publico Award in 2017 for their work on the Justice Index.
  • American Bar Association Partner — Jeh Charles Johnson co-leads an ABA Task Force on American Democracy appointed in August 2023.
  • American Bar Foundation Partner — Collaborated through participation in a plenary session at the International Access to Justice Forum 2025.
  • Arizona State University Partner — Collaborated through participation in a plenary session at the International Access to Justice Forum 2025.
  • Bar Partner — Collaborates with the bar to advance access to justice through policy reform and advocacy.
  • Center on Civil Justice, NYU Law Partner — Collaborates with the Center on Civil Justice at NYU Law through joint participation in conferences and public discourse on access to justice.
  • Children’s Law Center Partner — Engages with the Children’s Law Center through shared focus on family law reform and access to justice.
  • Columbia University Partner — Jeh Charles Johnson is a trustee and alumnus of Columbia Law School.
  • Corporate partners Partner — Worked with corporate partners who provided volunteer support for the development of the Justice Index.
  • Fordham Law Partner — Collaborates with Fordham Law, as evidenced by shared leadership and event co-sponsorship.
  • Fordham Law School Partner — Co-teaches the Access to Justice Seminar and co-hosts public events and initiatives on access to justice
  • Fordham Law School's Urban Law Journal Partner — Co-hosted the AtJ Solutions Symposium to examine practical solutions for increasing access to justice
  • Fordham University Government — Email contact is hosted at Fordham University, indicating an institutional affiliation.
  • Judiciary Partner — Partners with judiciary members to evaluate and implement new models for access to justice, including judicial roles in housing court.
  • Justice Index Partner — Flagship project that assesses state performance on access to justice policies.
  • Law Schools Partner — Works with law schools as part of stakeholder engagement to support research, education, and innovation in access to justice.
  • Law firms Partner — Volunteer legal professionals from law firms contributed to the development of the Justice Index.
  • Law schools Partner — Collaborated with law schools whose students and faculty helped build the Justice Index.
  • Legal Services Community Partner — Engages with the legal services community to promote best practices and expand access to justice for underserved populations.
  • Legal Services for New York City Partner — Collaborates with Legal Services for New York City on the use of AI applications in civil legal aid.
  • Lockheed Martin Partner — Jeh Charles Johnson serves on the board of directors.
  • MetLife Partner — Jeh Charles Johnson serves on the board of directors.
  • Mobilization for Justice Partner — Partners with Mobilization for Justice on addressing debt-related legal issues within the access to justice framework.
  • Morehouse College Partner — Jeh Charles Johnson is an alumnus of Morehouse College.
  • Namati Partner — Collaborated through participation in a plenary session at the International Access to Justice Forum 2025.
  • National Law Journal Partner — Jeh Charles Johnson was recognized as a 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient by the publication.
  • New York State Bar Association Partner — Jeh Charles Johnson received the Gold Medal, the association’s highest honor, in 2024.
+ 13 more
strategies · 4

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Data-Driven Policy Benchmarking and Advocacy
    methodology: data-driven_policy_benchmarking
    By generating comparative, state-level data on access to justice practices, the organization promotes transparency and motivates policy reform, because public benchmarking creates accountability and incentivizes states to adopt best practices.
  • Integrated Systemic Legal Reform
    methodology: integrated-justice-reform
    By combining community empowerment, court reform, technology innovation, and cross-system collaboration (civil and criminal), the organization advances deeper structural change, because access to justice barriers are interconnected and require multi-lever interventions.
  • Procedural and Financial Equity Reform
    methodology: procedural_simplification
    By simplifying legal procedures and adjusting fines and fees based on ability to pay, the organization reduces systemic barriers for low-income individuals, because equitable access requires both procedural clarity and financial fairness.
  • Responsible Technology Integration in Justice
    methodology: responsible-ai-governance
    By leveraging AI and digital tools while advocating for safeguards and regulatory frameworks, the organization expands access to legal services in a way that prevents harm, because technology can scale solutions only if governed responsibly.