Access Commission seeks permanency: 'There is still much work to be done'.

The Florida Commission on Access to Civil Justice has submitted its final report, summarizing its work for the last year and a half and making just one recommendation to the Florida Supreme Court: Don't stop us now.

The judges, lawmakers, statewide elected leaders, lawyers, and business executives who make up Florida's Access Commission voted unanimously in support of a permanent commission at their last meeting. The 27-member commission has been at work since it was created in late 2014 by Chief Justice Jorge Labarga. But June 30, 2016 --the deadline for its final report--also marked the ending of the commission itself.

Some three dozen states have established Access to Civil Justice Commissions in the last two decades and Chief Justice Labarga, who served as chair of the Access Commission, strongly supports a long-term commission.

In a letter to his colleagues on the Supreme Court, he praised the Florida Access Commission for the foundation it has laid.

"While much remains to be done, I am proud of the commission's achievements thus far," he wrote. "I am confident that the commission is on the right path toward addressing the long-term and complex issues that impede access to the civil justice system by disadvantaged, low-income, and moderate-income Floridians."

From the day he signed the order creating the commission, Chief Justice Labarga has consistently stressed that the focus must be on not just people who live in poverty but also those in the middle class. He also has emphasized, just as strongly, that the existence of barriers keeping people from meaningful access to civil justice is a problem confronting the entire society, not just the legal community.

"The commission is prepared to continue its efforts to build partnerships as we strive to collaboratively identify, support, and implement a continuum of services that are designed to afford meaningful access to civil justice for all Floridians," the chief justice wrote his fellow justices.

The Florida Bar and The Florida Bar Foundation have been co-equal partners in the Access Commission, which has included as well members of the business community, leaders from both the executive and legislative branches, and a range of leaders in the legal community.

In its final report, the Access Commission provided updates...