In liberal democracies, lawyers have societal obligations that are directly connected to the right of access to justice. Access to justice provides citizens with the ability to turn to the judicial and administrative bodies of the state to enforce their rights. The right of access to justice is multifaceted. It may include the ability to introduce and challenge evidence presented at trial, to have a translator when necessary to understand the trial proceedings, and to have a lawyer represent one’s interests before state judicial and administrative bodies. Modern liberal democracies have developed four institutions to realize the state’s and lawyers’ obligations to the right of all members of the political community to access a lawyer: public defender’s offices, court-appointed counsel, legal clinics, and pro bono work. These institutions aim to eliminate the access-to-justice deficit that exists in all modern liberal democracies to varying degrees.