This chapter investigates the global access to justice crisis, where approximately 1.4 billion people worldwide have unmet civil or administrative justice needs despite living in functioning legal systems. Through an analysis of data from multiple countries including across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia, the chapter demonstrates that individuals with legal problems often struggle to access adequate assistance. Unrepresented litigants face substantial disadvantages without legal support, including, losing custody of children, facing eviction, and experiencing asset seizure.

Four factors are exacerbating this crisis: growing societal complexity, which creates increasingly intricate legal procedures; overprofessionalization of the legal community; systemic bias favoring institutional plaintiffs; and the fundamental language gap separating laypeople from lawyers. Addressing this crisis is imperative for two primary reasons: fairness and social costs. The chapter proposes that legal AI systems represent public goods, similar to courts and schools, requiring coordinated investment to democratize access to justice.