Author Archives: richardzorza

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About richardzorza

I am deeply involved in access to justice and the patient voice movement.

CJ Lippman Announces Neighborhood Legal Information Centers — Implications and Possibilities

Posted on December 4, 2015 by richardzorza

This ground-breaking news, once again from the New York Courts.  As the press release puts it: [The] Network of Walk-in Storefronts Will Be First of Its Kind in New York and the Nation to Bring Basic Legal Information, Assistance and … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Chasm with Communities, Court Management, Legal Aid, Non-Lawyer Practice, Self-Help Services, Technology, Triage | 1 Comment

Richard Granat Proposes Safe Harbor for Law Firms Serving Low and Moderate Income Clients With Technology

Posted on December 4, 2015 by richardzorza

Richard Granat has recently made an interesting proposal to facilitate the use of technology to improve access to justice by loosening the law firm ownership rules for groups using automated solutions to serve low and middle income clients.  Specicially, he … Continue reading →

Posted in Forms, Middle Income, Self-Help Services, Technology | Comments Off on Richard Granat Proposes Safe Harbor for Law Firms Serving Low and Moderate Income Clients With Technology

An Economic Analysis of the “One Hundred Percent Access to Justice” Phrase

Posted on November 30, 2015 by richardzorza

If we are to assess the viability of 100% access to justice solutions, we must at least begin to have an economic model for what 100% access means, and particularly for whether we can regard services as sufficient in any … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Counsel, Access to Justice Generally, Legal Aid, Self-Help Services, Triage | 6 Comments

West Virginia Supreme Court Afirms Right of Self-Representation

Posted on November 30, 2015 by richardzorza

In an important decision, the West Virgina Supreme Court has affirmed that self-represented litigants have the same right of access to the courts as one with an attorney.  The issue derives as follows: In April of 2014, the Honorable Booker … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally | Comments Off on West Virginia Supreme Court Afirms Right of Self-Representation

What Do We Do With the Apparant Fact That People Who Beleive They Are More Creative Are More LIkely to Believe That They Are Entitled, and To Act Unethically?

Posted on November 26, 2015 by richardzorza

Richard Moohead wonderfully picks up on recent research on the relationship between creativity and entitlement. The research, reported in the Harvard Business Review, tested whether people who beleived that they were more creative were, for example, willing to lie for … Continue reading →

Posted in Judicial Ethics, Legal Ethics, Research and Evalation | 1 Comment

The 100% Access Movement Has A New Poster

Posted on November 26, 2015 by richardzorza

Here is a great poster made by Margaret Hagen of Stanford showing Bonnie Hough speaking at the recent Access to Justice Conference at Hastings Law School. Its a great idea, and a great expression, from a great person.  It is … Continue reading →

Posted in 100% Access Strategy and Campaign, Access to Justice Generally | 1 Comment

The Begining of A Discussion of ADR and 100% Access to Justice

Posted on November 20, 2015 by richardzorza

One of the many impacts of the Chief’s 100% resolution is that it is starting to stimulate discussion in many communities that are or should be part of the broad 100% solution. So it is great to hear that Resolution … Continue reading →

Posted in Mediation, Mixed Model, Outcome Measures, Research and Evalation, Triage | 2 Comments

On the Only Right Response to the Idea of US Government Making All Muslims Register

Posted on November 20, 2015 by richardzorza

Obviously, the recently partially apparently walked-back endorsement by a US Presidential candidate of the idea of making all Muslims register is truly obscene in the light of what such a requirement led to in the Holocaust. The answer to such … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Discrimination, Technology | 5 Comments

“Making Justice Accessible” At the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Posted on November 19, 2015 by richardzorza

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences was founded in 1790, so they can hardly be called a fad.  So it is surely of some meaning when they decide it is worth spending a couple of days paying attention to … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally | Comments Off on “Making Justice Accessible” At the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

A Way For Courts to Show They Are Serious About Making The Law Accessible — Plain Language Explanations of Appellate Decisions

Posted on November 18, 2015 by richardzorza

Here is an idea for how appellate courts could demonstrate their committement to making the law accessible.  They could include in all decisions a short explanation of the decision in plain language (great examples of plain language in box in … Continue reading →

Posted in Appellate Practice, Plain Language | 1 Comment

Congressman Joseph Kennedy III Planning Access to Justice Caucus

Posted on November 14, 2015 by richardzorza

Congressman Joseph Kennedy III (D. Mass) told us in a speech at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences last week that he plans to launch an Access to Justice Caucus in the House of Representatives next year. This is … Continue reading →

Posted in 100% Access Strategy and Campaign, Congress, Defender Programs, Legal Aid | 2 Comments

Answering a Law Professor’s Worry that Free Online Access to Caselaw Will not Help Access to Justice

Posted on November 14, 2015 by richardzorza

Brian Sheppard, who teaches at Seton Hall Law School, in an interesting blog post on Bloomberg, raises the question whether the Harvard Law School digitization project I blogged about recently, might not really help access to justice. His worry is … Continue reading →

Posted in Document Assembly, E-filing, Libraries, Self-Help Services, Technology | 8 Comments

Could We Get to 100% Access Without As Many New Resources As We Now Assume, a Very Rough Analysis?

Posted on November 13, 2015 by richardzorza

It’s a truism and an article of faith in the access to justice community that the only way to get to 100% access to justice is a massive infusion of money. It might well be true, but try this mental … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Counsel, Access to Justice Generally, Budget Issues, Court Management, Legal Aid, Research and Evalation, Rules Reform, Self-Help Services, Simplification, Systematic Change | 5 Comments

What Might “Access to Justice Sullivan Principles” Look Like?

Posted on November 9, 2015 by richardzorza

I recently blogged about the idea of access to justice “Sullivan Principles”.  As man will remember, the Sullivan Principles were a set of principles for corporations about dealing with the old apartheid regime in South Africa.  While some criticized these … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumer Rights, Funding, Rules Reform, Simplification | Comments Off on What Might “Access to Justice Sullivan Principles” Look Like?

Today Really is “Love Your Lawyer” Day

Posted on November 6, 2015 by richardzorza

It may seem hard to believe, but the “movement” to celebrate today, and other “first Fridays” as “Love your Lawyer Day,” really is gaining momentum, with the Law Practice Division of the ABA passing a Resolution in support. Why does … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally | 2 Comments