Here is the announcement:

New Court Access Center

The Center on Court Access to Justice for All (Access Center), an initiative of the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), helps judges and courts advance access to justice, especially for poor and low-income individuals. It works closely with the Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ), the Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA) and other national court organizations to implement access-to-justice solutions. The Access Center is supported with funding from the Public Welfare Foundation which also supports a companion project of the ABA Resource Center for Access to Justice Initiatives to expand Access to Justice Commissions. To learn more about the NCSC’s Access Center, visit www.ncsc.org/atj.

Technical Assistance Available

The NCSC’s Access Center will be offering Access Briefs and webinars on various access to justice topics to help judges and other court leaders learn about and better share effective tools (e.g., simplified forms, self-help centers, triaging services). In addition to these resources, the Access Center also will offer assistance to state and local courts interested in gaining specific expertise on implementing an access to justice program, practice or service (e.g., starting a self-help center or volunteer legal services program for self-represented litigants). This assistance is flexible and typically will involve a few days of an expert’s time on-site or through conference calls. The assistance also can take the form of sending representatives from one jurisdiction to another to learn first-hand how to implement a specific improvement program or practice. Jurisdictions interested in requesting assistance are encouraged to visit the Access Center’s Web site (www.ncsc.org/atj) and click on the “Assistance” tab for more information.

It’s going to be a great opportunity to move the field forward, particularly with the Best Practice Briefs, the website, and the technical assistance for courts.  The project will be working closely with the ABA Access to Justice Commission Expansion Project.

Here is a screenshot of the website of the Court Access Center.

I am proud to be a consultant to the project, which is being directed by Dr. Pam Casey of the National Center’s staff.