Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to this Special Issue of Laws, “Understanding and Overcoming Barriers to Access to Justice in the Modern Era”. The importance of access to justice cannot be overstated. Access to justice enables people to have their voices heard and to exercise their legal rights enshrined in constitutions, statutes, common law, or international instruments. Access to justice is an indispensable factor in promoting empowerment, securing access to equal human dignity, and achieving social and economic development. Yet, the ability for people to effectively assert their legal rights is constantly under siege. Barriers such as poor knowledge of rights and the law, personal and institutional lack of financial resources, the absence of legal representation, or being a member of a vulnerable group are just some of the obstacles to effective access to justice that people face today. To address and overcome such barriers different solutions have been tested, including a more proactive role for civil society in providing legal support, advice and representation, public–private partnerships in financing judicial services, the use of artificial intelligence, and, more generally, IT tools.

This Special Issue will outline the importance of access to justice and some international efforts in progress aimed at ensuring that everyone has effective access to justice. It will also explore some of the most significant factors that can impact access to justice. In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to): access to justice, the use of artificial intelligence, disability, national security and anti-terrorism, global health crises, corruption, financial resources, and immigration law.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Justine N. Stefanelli
Dr. Julinda Beqiraj
Guest Editors 

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• access to justice
• sustainable development goals
• rule of law
• legal aid
• legal assistance and representation
• fair trial
• persons with disabilities
• children
• judicial vetting
• artificial intelligence