Legal leaders in California hope to narrow the justice gap by steering cash to “legal incubators”—programs that help graduates jump-start their careers while providing low-cost legal help to people who otherwise couldn't afford to hire lawyers.

The California Commission on Access to Justice has announced $185,000 in grants to launch three legal incubators and to support an existing incubator in Orange County.

“This is a wonderful first step in nurturing the next generation of lawyers providing legal services for everyday people with modest means,” said California Supreme Court Justice Goodwin Liu, who chairs the commission's grant review committee. “The unmet legal needs in our community are well-documented, and this could serve as a model for incubator projects throughout California and nationwide.”