LSC’s Civil Court Data Initiative (CCDI) began in 2019 as a pilot project to determine how access to real-time civil court data can inform legal aid providers’ response to changing local legal needs. Through this initiative, the Office of Data Governance and Analysis (ODGA) has created software that collects civil court records from nearly 60 public court websites. The project has grown to be the largest and most comprehensive collection of civil court data in the U.S.

To date, we have collected over thirty million records from thirty states filed since 2016. This database includes information on eviction, debt collection, domestic violence and other civil legal issues.

ODGA is now developing web applications, such as the Eviction Tracker, to deliver analytics about legal needs to legal aid providers and other audiences, and automatic reporting systems for civil legal aid organizations to describe changes in filing patterns and assist with strategic and individual case advocacy.  The data has become a vital resource for legal aid providers, local and state governments and researchers during the COVID-19 pandemic.