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This article examines the links that join participation in the legal process, access to justice, and the implementation of human rights, parameters on which depend the fulfilment of all the other rights, including amongst other things the right to health care. The author makes the point that a juridical system, necessary as it is in order to protect the most marginalised members of society, can only be effective if marginalised people themselves can take their part in it. In support of her argument the author makes use of the theory of change proposed by Lawyers Without Borders, an international non-governmental organisation, and illustrates it with examples of its work to show how people who are brought before the courts can best be supported and helped to be proactive. These examples emphasize how an understanding of the underlying causes of marginalisation and discrimination can guide a strategy for action. In conclusion the article describes the process by which the power to act in law favours the kind of involvement that creates a ‘virtuous circle’ leading to the full exercise of human rights.