Author Archives: richardzorza

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About richardzorza

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

Pending Supreme Court Case Could Put Limits on Integrated Bar’s Ability to Limit NonLawyer Activities

Posted on September 18, 2014 by richardzorza

David Udell points out this fascinating pending Supreme Court case, that had passed me by. On October 14, 2014, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear North Carolina Board of Dental Examiners v. Federal Trade Commission, which raises the issue whether a … Continue reading →

Posted in Anti-Trust, Legal Ethics, Non-Lawyer Practice | Comments Off on Pending Supreme Court Case Could Put Limits on Integrated Bar’s Ability to Limit NonLawyer Activities

Highlights and Thoughts on the LSC 40th Anniversary

Posted on September 18, 2014 by richardzorza

Earlier this week, LSC had its 40th anniversary shebang in DC. As I understand it, the primary goal was to establish LSC and federal funding of community-based legal aid as a permanent bi-partisan commitment.  It certainly moved us a long … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, LSC | 1 Comment

Briefly I Really Was the National Poster Child for Aging!

Posted on September 13, 2014 by richardzorza

Yes, really, for a short time, if you went to the National Institute on Aging website, you got so see a photo of me in front of a laptop and holding a phone. (Here is a link to the photo … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Interesting Expansion of Access to Justice Interest in the Political Sphere

Posted on September 11, 2014 by richardzorza

This blog has long urged greater engagement with the political sphere to expand access to justice.  So it is good news that the New York City Council has established a Committee on Courts and Legal Services.  To quote the press … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Political Support | 3 Comments

Good News on Electric Shock Judge

Posted on September 10, 2014 by richardzorza

Judge Nalley is now history.  I have just received the following from the Office of Communications and Public Affairs of the Maryland Courts. Good afternoon, Richard. I know you’ve been writing about Judge Nalley on your Access to Justice blog. … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal Ethics | 3 Comments

Judge Orders Self-Represented Litigant To Be Given Electric Shock

Posted on September 9, 2014 by richardzorza

This blog tries to avoid sensational horror stories about the courts, but this one is sui generis.  From the Washington Post. Delvon L. King was acting as his own attorney in a gun-possession case when Charles County Circuit Court Judge … Continue reading →

Posted in Judicial Ethics | 3 Comments

LSC Announces Pro Bono Innovation Grants

Posted on September 9, 2014 by richardzorza

LSC has just announced its first pro bono innovation awards, funded by a special line in the LSC appropriation.  These grants follow the TIG model, they are discretionary and competitive, and intended to be innovative. This years grants cover the … Continue reading →

Posted in Funding, LSC, Pro Bono, Technology | Comments Off on LSC Announces Pro Bono Innovation Grants

Guest Blogger Dave Pantzer on “What can a surgeon, a jet pilot, and a construction foreman teach us about the legal profession?”

Posted on September 6, 2014 by richardzorza

This post from guest blogger Dave Pantzer discusses Atul Gawande’s 2009 book The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right, and suggests that the legal profession take seriously the challenges and opportunities set forth in the book. Anthony DeFilippo almost … Continue reading →

Posted in Systematic Change | 2 Comments

Guest Blogger Katherine Alteneder of SRLN Suggests Strategies for Getting to 100% Self-Help Services Coverage Nationally

Posted on August 28, 2014 by richardzorza

I invited Katherine Alteneder, my replacement as coordinator of the Self-Represented Litigation Network, to bring us up to date on the potential impact of the very important recent ABA survey on Self-Help Centers. This is her guest post. I hope … Continue reading →

Posted in Self-Help Services, SRLN, Systematic Change | 1 Comment

BOA Settlement To Include Money for IOLTA Programs

Posted on August 21, 2014 by richardzorza

I suspect that all the readers of this blog cheered todays story that the Bank of America has been forced to agree to a $16.5 billion settlement with DOJ for its mortgage shenanigans (NYT). (DOJ Press Release) Some might might have … Continue reading →

Posted in Dept. of Justice, Funding, IOLTA | 1 Comment

HiL Comparision of Nine European Countries Legal Aid Systems Should Get Everyone Thinking About Costs, Quality, and System Change

Posted on August 13, 2014 by richardzorza

Netherlands-based HiL has released an absolutely fascinating study of nine European legal aid systems.  This not only compares costs (based on hard numbers)  , but also hypothesizes which organizational, structural, and legal system aspects seem to be driving higher or … Continue reading →

Posted in International Models, Metrics | 2 Comments

Newly Released “Community Needs and Services Study” Should Trigger Some Rethinking About Barriers and Needs

Posted on August 8, 2014 by richardzorza

Rebecca Sandefur and the American Bar Foundation have just (today) released Accessing Justice in the Contemporary USA: Findings from the Community Needs and Services Study (CNSS). This very important study went into a Midwestern city and asked people whether they … Continue reading →

Posted in Research and Evalation, SRL Statistics | 2 Comments

Canadian Group Offers Guide to Settlement for the Self-Represented

Posted on August 7, 2014 by richardzorza

The Canadian Group, the National Self-Represented Litigants Project, has released a very interesting resource: Settlement Smarts for SRLs. It goes through the process step by step, very much from the self-represented litigant’s point of view.  All too often such documents … Continue reading →

Posted in Mediation, Self-Help Services | 3 Comments

Wonderful Graphic Triage Model

Posted on August 6, 2014 by richardzorza

The wonderful OpenLawLab blog recently shared a triage chart designed by the NC Immigrant Rights Project to help intake workers work with clients to decide if the client is eligible for the Deferred Action (DREAM) program.  It is here, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Immigration, Triage | Comments Off on Wonderful Graphic Triage Model

DC Court Offers Chat Informational Serices — Thoughts on Expansion

Posted on August 4, 2014 by richardzorza

As reported in the Washington Post, the SC Superior Court is now offering chat informational services. D.C. Superior Court officials on Tuesday announced a new online Web chat feature where court users can ask questions of court employees about their … Continue reading →

Posted in Self-Help Services, Technology | Comments Off on DC Court Offers Chat Informational Serices — Thoughts on Expansion