The following public research materials support factual statements elsewhere on this site about self-represented litigants and access to justice in the United States. Listing these sources is informational only. It does not imply endorsement, partnership, sponsorship, or affiliation with MyGavel by any of the organizations named below.

Self-Represented Litigants — Access & Fairness
National Center for State Courts
National-level research and resources on self-represented litigants and access to justice across U.S. state courts.
https://www.ncsc.org/resources-courts/access-fairness/self-represented-litigants
Programs for Self-Represented Litigants
Judicial Council of California
California branch-facts overview describing the scope of self-representation in California courts and related programs.
https://newsroom.courts.ca.gov/branch-facts/programs-self-represented-litigants
Task Force on Self-Represented Litigants — Statewide Action Plan (Final Report)
Judicial Council of California
California statewide action plan for serving self-represented litigants, published by the Judicial Council of California.
https://courts.ca.gov/publication/task-force-self-represented-litigants-final-report-implementation-judicial-council

Usage & Disclaimer

Statistics and general statements about self-representation on MyGavel pages are drawn from the sources listed above and other public reports. Because self-representation rates vary by jurisdiction, case type, and year, figures should be treated as illustrative of a well-documented pattern rather than as precise real-time counts. MyGavel is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.