Author Archives: richardzorza

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About richardzorza

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

LSC Issues Pro Bono Innovation Fund Notice of Funds Availability — Applications Due June 30, 2014

Posted on April 24, 2014 by richardzorza

Here is the Pro Bono Innovation Fund 2014 Notice of Funds Availability.  The applications, which must be filed by an LSC grantee, are due June 30, 2014.  It is important to emphasize that LSC welcomes grants that include extensive participation, … Continue reading →

Posted in Funding, LSC, Pro Bono, Self-Help Services | 2 Comments

That Deborah Leff is to Run the Pardon Office and The Expanded Clemency Program Highlights Importance of ATJ in Federal Government

Posted on April 24, 2014 by richardzorza

The DOJ plan to expand access to clemency to “nonviolent felons who have served at least 10 years in prison and who would have received significantly lower prison terms if convicted under today’s more lenient sentencing laws” as the Times … Continue reading →

Posted in Criminal Law, Dept. of Justice, White House | Comments Off on That Deborah Leff is to Run the Pardon Office and The Expanded Clemency Program Highlights Importance of ATJ in Federal Government

Canadian ATJ Report is a Model for the World

Posted on April 18, 2014 by richardzorza

The Canadian Action Committee on Access to Civil and Family Justice, has issued its Report, Access to Civil and Family Justice: A Roadmap for Change.  (It was issued on October, and I am long overdue in my report on a … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, International Cooperation, International Models | 1 Comment

The Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable Toolkit is a Major Breakthrough

Posted on April 16, 2014 by richardzorza

Before the establishment of the Access to Justice Initiative within DOJ, Federal funding for community based — indeed all — legal aid was basically limited to LSC, with maybe odds and ends, usually through state routes, for senior services and … Continue reading →

Posted in Dept. of Justice, Funding, LSC, White House | 1 Comment

Justice Earl Johnson’s Remarkable Book on the History of Legal Aid

Posted on April 15, 2014 by richardzorza

I am proud to be able to share with the readers of this blog the Prologue of the remarkable recently published book by Justice Earl Johnson Jr. (ret).  The three volume work is a history of legal aid since the … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, History, LSC | Comments Off on Justice Earl Johnson’s Remarkable Book on the History of Legal Aid

Glenn Rawdon’s Visionary White House Speech is About 100% Access, And More, Not Just About Technology

Posted on April 13, 2014 by richardzorza

Glenn Rawdon’s speech titled Everyone, Anytime, Anywhere at the April 8 White House Forum on Increasing Access to Justice was about far more than technology.  After describing how Bill gates talked in 1999 about technology convergence, the history of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Communications Strategy, Document Assembly, Mobile Technology, Systematic Change, Technology | 4 Comments

New York Law Journal Reports on Navigator Program

Posted on April 10, 2014 by richardzorza

The New York Law Journal has just published an excellent article on the Navigator program (full article accessible for free) in part of the Brooklyn Housing Court and part of the Bronx court dealing with consumer credit matters.  As described … Continue reading →

Posted in Non-Lawyer Practice | 1 Comment

April 8 – Another Important Day for Access at the White House

Posted on April 9, 2014 by richardzorza

It’s becoming a wonderful tradition.  A White House Forum on Increasing Access to Justice, at which the administration’s commitment to access to justice is highlighted, hardworking partners are honored, and stakeholders get to network about future ideas. I plan to … Continue reading →

Posted in Dept. of Justice, Funding, Legal Aid, White House | 5 Comments

Suggestions for an Expansive and Popular Definition of “Civil Legal Aid”

Posted on April 7, 2014 by richardzorza

Given that on Tuesday April the 8th there is an invitational event at the White House described as “White House Forum on Increasing Access to Justice,” it seems a good time for reflections on how best and most effectively to … Continue reading →

Posted in Communications Strategy, Forms, Legal Aid, Self-Help Services | 5 Comments

Progress in Three States on Non-Lawyer Access Innovations

Posted on April 4, 2014 by richardzorza

There is now a lot to report on non-lawyer practice — with much of it not yet getting the attention it deserves. First development.  In New York Housing Court (Brooklyn) non-lawyer “navigators” are now actually in place helping litigants day-to-day.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Non-Lawyer Practice | 5 Comments

Public Welfare Foundation Funds Alan Houseman to Explore Research About How civil Legal Aid Helps Reduce and Eliminate Poverty

Posted on April 3, 2014 by richardzorza

The Public Welfare foundation is funding legal aid elder statesmen Alan Houseman, now retired from the Center for Law and Social Policy, to explore the research and evidence about how civil legal aid reduces and eliminates poverty.  In a way … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally | 2 Comments

Thoughts on Engaged Neutrality Triggered by Supreme Court Apparant “Gotcha” Question

Posted on March 27, 2014 by richardzorza

It’s every appellate advocate’s nightmare, an apparently “gotcha” question that you have not anticipated or prepared an answer for, and it happened on Wednesday at the Supreme Court.  As the Times reports it, in a case dealing with the relative … Continue reading →

Posted in Judicial Ethics, Supreme Court | 2 Comments

Thoughts on the Special Value of the Upcoming Conference on Enhancing Social Justice Through The Development of Incubators & Residency Programs

Posted on March 26, 2014 by richardzorza

This post is much later than it should be, but I think it is still important to draw attention to the upcoming Conference on Enhancing Social Justice Through The Development of Incubators & Residency Programs on Thursday, April 3, 2014 … Continue reading →

Posted in Incubators, Law Schools, Middle Income | Comments Off on Thoughts on the Special Value of the Upcoming Conference on Enhancing Social Justice Through The Development of Incubators & Residency Programs

California Chief Focuses on Self-Help Centers in State of Judiciary Speech

Posted on March 21, 2014 by richardzorza

We all know that under former CJ Ron George, California was a pioneer in access to justice and self-help services.  So it is wonderful to see that his successor, Chief Justice Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye shares that commitment and understands  the breadth … Continue reading →

Posted in LEP, Planning, Self-Help Services, State of Judiciary Speeches | Comments Off on California Chief Focuses on Self-Help Centers in State of Judiciary Speech

Critically Important Speech by NY CJ Lippman on “The Judiciary as the Leader of the Access to Justice Revolution”

Posted on March 12, 2014 by richardzorza

On Tuesday, Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman delivered a very important speech.  While the whole speech is very valuable, two particular aspects stand out for me. The first is the the very strong language, and examples, reflecting the speech title The … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Funding, Judicial Ethics, Legal Aid, Non-Lawyer Practice, Pro Bono | 1 Comment