As you know, this blog has previously drawn attention to the unusual  success of New York Chief Justice Jonathan Lippman in increasing access to civil legal services.  His approach, described in detail in our NewsMaker Interview, is to have groups not traditionally viewed as advocates for legal aid, such as banks and hospitals, take the lead and speak up at hearings throughout the state on the need for, and benefits of, access funding, particularly in the toughest times.  This is an usual approach, and highly successful.

Now New York is conducting a new round of hearings.  The link already includes video of the first two, already completed hearings.  The link will allow anyone to watch future hearings live.

Those testifying have been asked to address the following:

• The particular types of situations or cases in which current civil legal services needs are unmet and their magnitude.
• The categories of individuals whose unmet legal needs currently are especially critical.
• Data on the impact of the economic downturn on sources of funding for civil legal services.
• Impact on courts of increasing numbers of unrepresented litigants.
• The economic and social harm to the community (direct and/or indirect) when critical legal needs are unmet.
• The economic and social benefits to the community when such needs are met

More information on the Task Force to Expand Access is here.

UPDATE;

The witness lists for the first two hearings are below the fold.

FIRST DEPARTMENT HEARING Monday, September 26, 2011
WITNESS LIST

1.    COST SAVINGS PANEL

Jeffrey L. Baliban (Managing Director, Navigant Consulting, Inc.)

Geeta Singh (Principal, Cornerstone Research)

2.    Hon. Christine Quinn (Speaker of the New York City Council)

3.   BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS PANEL

Deborah C. Wright (Chairman and CEO, Carver Federal Savings Bank)

Craig L. Reicher (Vice Chairman, CB Richard Ellis)

Donna Cirolia (Vice President, Coca-Cola Refreshments)

Samuel W. Seymour (President, New York City Bar Association)

4.    CLIENTS PANEL

Eneyda Maldonado (Client of The Legal Aid Society, accompanied by Jack Newton)

Yves Gebhardt (Client of Legal Services NYC, accompanied by Mallory Curran)

Virginia Norman-Acevedo (Client of The Legal Aid Society, accompanied by Judith Goldiner)

Tracy Smith (Client of the Urban Justice Center-Community Development Project, accompanied by Sadia Rahman)

Natalie Jones (Client of Legal Services NYC, Domestic Violence Unit, accompanied by Lenina Trinidad)

5.    JUDGES PANEL

Hon. David Kaplan (Housing Court Judge)

Hon. Tanya R. Kennedy (Acting Supreme Court Justice and Civil Court Judge)

Hon. Douglas E. Hoffman (Acting Supreme Court Justice and Supervising Judge, Family Court)
6.    CONTINUING UNMET NEED AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR COURT SIMPLIFICATION

Hon. Fern Fisher (Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for the New York City Courts; Director of the New York State Courts Access to Justice Program)

SECOND DEPARTMENT HEARING Tuesday, September 20, 2011
WITNESS LIST
1.   Hon. Janet DiFiore (Westchester County District Attorney)

2.   David Boies (Managing Partner, Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP

3.   CLIENT PANEL

Alina Saez, mother of Justin Rosario (Client of Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, accompanied by Gina DeCrescenzo)

Esther Jimenez (Client of Staten Island Legal Services, accompanied by Nancy Goldhill)

Tara Grisby (Client of Legal Aid Society of Rockland County, Inc., accompanied by Alexander Bursztein)

Kathleen Denezzo (Client of Nassau/Suffolk Law Services Committee, Inc., accompanied by Denise Snow)
4.    FORECLOSURE PANEL

John Lindstrom (Court Attorney-Referee, Supreme Court, Orange County)

Faith Piatt (Executive Director, Orange County Rural Development Advisory Corporation)

Barbara J. Strauss (Immediate Past President, Orange County Bar Association)

Boris Raishevich (Client of Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, accompanied by Ndukwe Agwu)

Alavita Williams (Client of Legal Aid Society, accompanied by Sumani Lanka)
5.    JUDGES PANEL

Hon. Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr.(Westchester County Surrogate, Acting Supreme Court Justice, and Supervising Judge for Fiduciary Matters, Ninth Judicial District; Co-Chair, Ninth Judicial District Pro Bono Action Committee)

Hon. Lori Currier Woods (Acting Supreme Court Justice and Family Court Judge, Orange County)

Hon. Janet C. Malone (Acting Supreme Court Justice and Family Court Judge, Westchester County)

6.    BUSINESS, RELIGIOUS AND GOVERNMENT LEADERS PANEL

Rev. Adrienne Flipse Hausch, Esq. (Partner, Carway & Flipse)

Terri Torchio, (Director of Economic Independence, Department of Social Services, Orange County, on behalf of Commissioner David Jolly)

William M. Savino (Managing Partner, Rivkin Radler LLP; Member of the Board, Long Island Association)