As noted in the SJI E-News, the SRLN/NCSC Triage Protocols Report is now available.
It was co-authored by Tom Clarke (NCSC) and Katherine Alteneder and myself (SRLN).
The proposition in this paper is that it is possible to collect information in a way to establish generally standardized and coordinated triage protocols that link litigant services, courts and legal services. From this process each stakeholder will realize significant gains in efficiency, cost savings and user satisfaction. This paper proposes protocols for evictions, divorces, foreclosures, and credit card debt[.]
It is important to note that the protocol design involved a broad group of stakeholders from courts to legal aid. The Report outlines three different sets of protocols, for litigants, for courts, and for non-profit legal aid programs. I should add that for me the most important lesson was the number of situations in which the logical service component was expert and trained non-lawyers. They can play a particularly important role in the triage process, since they can be familiar with the details that make a difference.
The Report can also be downloaded directly from here.
Pingback: Thoughts on the Special Value of the Upcoming Conference on Enhancing Social Justice Through The Development of Incubators & Residency Programs | Richard Zorza's Access to Justice Blog