About ATLN

Middle-class Americans face daunting challenges finding affordable legal help when they need it. They are “above the line” of income eligibility for the free legal aid reserved for the poorest Americans, but they also struggle to find quality and affordable legal services in the current legal market. With the middle class representing more than 50% of our nation’s population (over a hundred million people), their challenges in getting legal help have profound consequences for access to justice in our country.

The majority of Americans and small businesses are being left behind, and a more concerted national effort is needed to address this distinct and alarming access gap. The Above the Line Network (ATLN) aims to do just that.

• While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, there are many promising models around the United States and beyond already in place and committed to serving this vastly underserved market. ATLN brings these existing efforts together—from incubators, socially conscious private law firms, nonprofit law firms, legal aid programs, and other organizations—into a collaborative and supportive community where ideas, resources, and best practices can be shared, further developed, and scaled to reach more people.
• ATLN will also ensure that the voice of middle-class Americans is heard and represented in access-to-justice advocacy and funding efforts by educating funders, the judiciary, and the bar on the need for more resources, and ATLN will advocate for changes to the judicial, legal, and regulatory systems that would transform how legal services are delivered.

The Problem

While most organized access to justice efforts rightly focus on low-income and poor people who are especially vulnerable, we can never achieve our nation’s ideal of equal justice for all when middle-class people and small businesses struggle to find quality, affordable legal services. The traditional legal marketplace serves corporate and higher-income people well, but it is largely out of reach for middle-income Americans. This problem has been well documented in comprehensive studies by IAALS and the Legal Services Corporation, among others. We define the middle class as those earning at least 125% of the federal poverty line ($19,564 for an individual in 2025) and up to two times the median household income ($115,500 for an individual in 2025). The local cost of living, substantial student debt, or other financial obligations can further constrain an individual’s ability to afford the legal services they need to resolve the legal problems in their lives. Even still, a justice gap for everyone making between $19,564 and $115,500 presents a stark reality for most Americans.

Scaling Solutions

How do we tackle this huge gap in the legal market? While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, there are many promising models around the United States, Canada, and beyond already in place and committed to serving this vastly underserved market. However, a more concerted effort is needed to both build on what we know is working in this area and tackle some of the larger systemic challenges currently facing the middle class. That’s where the Above the Line Network comes in.

With a specific focus on the legal needs of the vastly overlooked middle class, ATLN is a new, organized network of individuals and organizations across the country and in Canada that are committed to improving access for the middle-market—a collaborative and supportive community where ideas, resources, and best practices can be shared, further developed, and scaled to reach more people who need affordable legal services.  

By collaborating and expanding on successful middle class-focused legal services, and by building support for larger policy and systemic changes, the Above the Line Network stands to increase access to justice for the middle class—and ultimately, people of all income levels.

The Above the Line Network is a joint project of IAALS and The Chicago Bar Foundation. Read our strategic plan here, including our mission, vision, values, and strategic focus areas, as well as the working group who played a key role in developing the project.