Access to quality and independent counsel is essential for a fair criminal justice system and protecting the rights of justice-involved individuals. Many people who are arrested and jailed with a bail amount they cannot afford or without bail at all may wait weeks or months before they can consult with a lawyer. This is particularly harmful to Black and Brown defendants, who are more likely to be detained pretrial or to receive financial conditions of release. Public defenders are notoriously overburdened and under-resourced, which impacts the quality of counsel indigent defendants receive. Due to independence issues, prevailing professional culture, and lack of capacity, many defenders don’t use their position to pursue system-wide change. AV has identified the need for philanthropic capital to research and support improvement in access, quality, and independence of counsel.