For decades, the legal profession has tried and tried again to increase pro
bono representation and reduce the ill effects of the Justice Gap. A common
and increasing theme has been a top-down approach focused on laudable
platitudes, jurisdictional reporting policies, and aspirational guidelines to
inspire attorneys to voluntarily serve low-income Americans. These efforts
have enjoyed very little success, however, and with the Justice Gap only getting
worse, a new solution is needed. This Article shifts the focus away from
these top-down methods and mandates, which lack accountability and incentives,
to a bottom-up approach that offers a more viable solution to the Justice
Gap. In a bottom-up approach, attorneys are not only encouraged, but
empowered, to provide services in coordination with other stakeholders. The
COVID-19 pandemic both aggravated and highlighted the Justice Gap and,
as a result, it has the potential to act as the necessary “social change tipping
point” to spark a movement. Therefore, the time is ripe for all legal professionals
to collectively take steps toward service, however small they may
seem, to effectively and sustainably treat the Justice Gap once and for all
