Author Archives: richardzorza

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About richardzorza

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

Finding Good News and a Strategy for Access After the Midterms

Posted on November 5, 2014 by richardzorza

Obviously, the results of yesterday’s election are potentially very bad news for legal aid funding (broadly defined).  Notwithstanding the generally bipartisan support demonstrated for LSC at its recent 40th anniversary, the risk of cuts to the LSC budget is very … Continue reading →

Posted in Communications Strategy, Funding | 1 Comment

Part II of “Assessing Innovations” — A Rights Oriented Analysis

Posted on October 31, 2014 by richardzorza

A recent post discussed how to analyze the value of different approaches to access to justice in cost benefit terms.  This follow-up post takes a different approach, looking at the same issue — of how to decided whether to implement … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Counsel, Budget Issues, Legal Aid, Non-Lawyer Practice, Systematic Change, Technology, Triage, Unbundling | 1 Comment

Assessing the Appropriateness of ATJ Innovations

Posted on October 28, 2014 by richardzorza

The more I am involved with discussions about possible access to justice innovations, the more I am struck that often those in favor and those against are really talking across each other because they are assessing the utility and value … Continue reading →

Posted in Non-Lawyer Practice, Self-Help Services, Systematic Change | 4 Comments

NY Quality of Counsel Settlment May be Template for National Reform

Posted on October 26, 2014 by richardzorza

This blog has been following the New York quality of defense counsel case.  Last week, perhaps in part because of the filing of a statement of interest by US DOJ, the parties, just before trial, have come to a proposed … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Counsel, Criminal Law, Defender Programs, Dept. of Justice | 1 Comment

Minnesota Supreme Court Takes Important Step Reversing Attorney Misconduct Admonition in Unbundled Case

Posted on October 24, 2014 by richardzorza

This may be the first time that a state Supreme Court has intervened to protect the integrity and force of a limited scope agreement. As such it is an important step in defending the force of the rules that protect … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Unbundling | Comments Off on Minnesota Supreme Court Takes Important Step Reversing Attorney Misconduct Admonition in Unbundled Case

NY Comission on Judicial Conduct Criticizes Judge For Failing to Recognize Need for Interpreter

Posted on October 22, 2014 by richardzorza

It has been my experiencce that judges are far more anxious about the risk of adverse action from a judicial conduct than of an appellate reversal, no matter how harshly worded. So it may be particularly significant that the New … Continue reading →

Posted in Judicial Ethics, LEP | 1 Comment

FLASH — New DOJ Access Head Announced — Former California Judge Lisa Foster

Posted on October 16, 2014 by richardzorza

Eric Holder has just announced the appointment of Lisa Foster as the new head of the DOJ Access to Justice Initiative.  Ms  Foster was until recently a judge in San Diego.  Her experience on the bench, with LAFLA and the … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally | 1 Comment

Roger Smith on Contrast Between British Columbia and UK Legal Aid Cuts Has Valuable Lessons

Posted on October 16, 2014 by richardzorza

I want to draw your attention to a blog post by the UK’s wonderful Roger Smith contrasting the BC and UK approach to cutting, and response to cuts in, legal aid budgets.  His essential point is that the BC cuts, … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Counsel, Budget Issues, International Models, Legal Aid, LSC, Technology | 1 Comment

An Argument as to Why Courts Should Not Require Self-Represented Litigants to Draw Up Orders for Judges to Sign

Posted on October 15, 2014 by richardzorza

I have long found it utterly incomprehensible that many courts still require litigants to draw up their own draft orders for the judge then to sign — and they then sometimes blame the litigants for not getting their cases to … Continue reading →

Posted in Court Management, Judicial Ethics, Plain Language | Comments Off on An Argument as to Why Courts Should Not Require Self-Represented Litigants to Draw Up Orders for Judges to Sign

Interesting Juxtaposition: ABA President Supports NonLawyer Practice While Supreme Court Explores Potential Anti-Trust Violation by Dentist Self-Regulation

Posted on October 15, 2014 by richardzorza

Its news on its own that ABA President William Hubbard appears to have endorsed nonlawyer practive: As OrgeonLive.com reported, at an ABA Young Lawyers Division meeting. . . Hubbard saluted the state of Washington, which was the first in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti-Trust, Non-Lawyer Practice, Supreme Court | Comments Off on Interesting Juxtaposition: ABA President Supports NonLawyer Practice While Supreme Court Explores Potential Anti-Trust Violation by Dentist Self-Regulation

What Does it Mean that DOJ Has Filed a Statement of Interest in NY Right to Quality Counsel Case?

Posted on October 8, 2014 by richardzorza

As folks should know by now, the US DOJ has filed a “Statement of Interest” in the ongoing New York State case about the quality of indigent defense services. While taking no formal position on the merits of the case, … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Criminal Law, Dept. of Justice, Public Defender | Comments Off on What Does it Mean that DOJ Has Filed a Statement of Interest in NY Right to Quality Counsel Case?

Sad News About the Dissolution of the American Judicature Society

Posted on October 1, 2014 by richardzorza

The American Judicature Society, which had been over 100 years old, has announced its dissolution. AJS played a very major role in moving forward a broad view of access to justice.  They published the first national materials on self-represented litigants, … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally | 1 Comment

Pro Bono Could Lead the Way in Resolving the Struggle for the Soul of the Legal Profession

Posted on September 27, 2014 by richardzorza

I have been up in Canada to address the excellent National Pro Bono gathering in Regina Saskatchewan, and hearing about the many pro bono and court innovations moving forward there, as well as from Justice Thomas Cromwell of their Supreme … Continue reading →

Posted in Judicial Ethics, Non-Lawyer Practice, Pro Bono, Systematic Change | Tagged | 1 Comment

Governing Magazine Spreads the ATJ Message Beyond Courts With Article on NY CJ Lippman

Posted on September 21, 2014 by richardzorza

It has long been a goal of the more visionary access to justice commissions, now joined by Voices for Civil Justice, to spread the ATJ message beyond courts to other government actors.  So it is particularly good news that there … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Boards, Access to Justice Generally | 1 Comment

American Assoc of Law Libraries Issues Report on Acess to Justice

Posted on September 20, 2014 by richardzorza

An important step from a very significant ally in the access coalition.  The American Association of Law Libraries has issued Law Libraries and Access to Justice, which was drafted by a special committee of the Association. The Report brings together … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Boards, Libraries | Comments Off on American Assoc of Law Libraries Issues Report on Acess to Justice