Author Archives: richardzorza

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About richardzorza

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

Implications of Broadband Initiative for Access to Justice — Interesting Canadian Experiment and a TIG idea

Posted on January 31, 2011 by richardzorza

Sunday’s Washington Post on rural broadband set me thinking about the need to be more creative about broadband and the justice system. When someone says medical and broadband in the same sentence, you know what to think — doctors doing … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Law Schools, Technology | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Please Take a Good Look at Richard Moorhead’s UK LawyerWatch Blog

Posted on January 30, 2011 by richardzorza

For anyone interested in UK access to justice perspectives and research, I strongly recommend Richard Moorhead’s LawyerWatch. Richard is at the University of Cardiff, and one of the most highly respected researchers in UK in access to justice. Here are … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal Ethics, Research and Evalation | Tagged | Comments Off on Please Take a Good Look at Richard Moorhead’s UK LawyerWatch Blog

SC ATJ Commission Experiments with Animation to Make FAQs Accessible

Posted on January 29, 2011 by richardzorza

Experimenter of the day award to Robin Wheeler at the SC ATJ Commission for experimenting with online animation to distribute self-help FAQs. Here is the link to their blog with the experimental animation. Here is a direct YouTube link.  Here … Continue reading →

Posted in Self-Help Services, Technology | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Important Webinar on Debt Collection and Arbitration Resources for Pro Se and Pro Bono Cases — And a Thought on Why Advocacy and Access are Important for the Health of the Economy

Posted on January 28, 2011 by richardzorza

Important online training on Debt Collection and Arbitration Resources for Pro Se and Pro Bono Cases. The listing explains it perfectly: Under a Technology Initiative Grant from LSC, Atlanta Legal Aid Society, in consultation with The National Consumer Law Center, … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Foreclosure, Pro Bono, Self-Help Services | 1 Comment

Laugh or Cry Department — Egypt — Importance of Transparency and Lack of Corruption

Posted on January 28, 2011 by richardzorza

Sometimes something so grabs you that you have to share it: From today’s Washington Post on the Egypt demonstrations. Ahmed, 25, squared off with baton-wielding police officers this week in large part because he wants to join their ranks, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Law Schools, Legal Ethics | Tagged | Comments Off on Laugh or Cry Department — Egypt — Importance of Transparency and Lack of Corruption

Report on LEP Technology and Online Library on Language Access

Posted on January 27, 2011 by richardzorza

Information on this has been quite widely spread, but I thought it important enough to note. This is a new Report on uses of technology to aid LEP access generally.  It is called:  COMMUNICATING MORE FOR LESS: Using Translation and … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally | 2 Comments

Wonderful Example of Visualization — Graphic Displays of Data — Ideas for ATJ

Posted on January 26, 2011 by richardzorza

This is a five minute video from the BBC, demonstrating visualization of health and wealth statistics from the last 200 years. Perhaps less important than the substantive message (progress and clear trends toward global equality) is the model of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally | 3 Comments

Impact of Electronic Health Records on Quality of Care — An Arguablely Cautionary Study

Posted on January 24, 2011 by richardzorza

A new study of the impact upon quality of outpatient medical care of electronic health records might cause some of us to be more careful about our expectations of the relationship between technology and quality of service – or at … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally | Comments Off on Impact of Electronic Health Records on Quality of Care — An Arguablely Cautionary Study

Massachusetts Public Defender System Reform Debate — Implications for Civil Access Too

Posted on January 24, 2011 by richardzorza

Massachusetts has what is generally regarded as one of the best public defender systems in the country.   It is a true “mixed model” in which one board and organization manages both a group of about 200 salaried lawyers (the … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Counsel, Funding | 1 Comment

Any Data on Actual Specific Impact on Access to Justice of Court Budget Cuts? Or of Legal Aid Cuts on Caseload? A Role for NAIP and/or a National Consortium?

Posted on January 22, 2011 by richardzorza

Someone I respect a lot asked me yesterday if there was any data on actual (rather than potential) impact on access to justice of budget cuts in the courts.  By that he meant delay in getting a protective order, failure … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally | Comments Off on Any Data on Actual Specific Impact on Access to Justice of Court Budget Cuts? Or of Legal Aid Cuts on Caseload? A Role for NAIP and/or a National Consortium?

This Blog Integrated with Twitter — Take a Look at the Technola Blog

Posted on January 20, 2011 by richardzorza

You can now share posts on this blog using your Twitter account.  There is a twitter button in the share area at the bottom of the post.  You only see this when you go into the full version of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, This Blog | Comments Off on This Blog Integrated with Twitter — Take a Look at the Technola Blog

Ontario Moves on Sign Languge Interpretation in Legal Context — A Suggestion for an IOLTA Innovation Pool

Posted on January 20, 2011 by richardzorza

The Law Foundation of Ontario, their IOLTA program, has what we in the  US would call an RFP out for projects dealing with Sign Language Interpretation in the legal system.  Applicants can be “from across Canada” The grant program comes … Continue reading →

Posted in Funding, IOLTA, LEP | Tagged , | Comments Off on Ontario Moves on Sign Languge Interpretation in Legal Context — A Suggestion for an IOLTA Innovation Pool

US Brief in Civil Gideon Child Support Contempt Case — Interesting Position

Posted on January 19, 2011 by richardzorza

The US Justice Department has filed an amicus brief in a civil Gideon case, albeit one dealing with a risk of incarceration, supporting reversal.  The case comes out of South Carolina, and involves one put in civil contempt for failing … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Counsel, Access to Justice Generally, Forms, Judicial Ethics, Self-Help Services, Supreme Court | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Maryland Access to Justice Commission Civil Right to Counsel Implementation Analysis includes Mixed Model and Cost Estimate

Posted on January 18, 2011 by richardzorza

Good for the Maryland Access to Justice Commission! Their very interesting and innovative Implementing a Civil Right to Counsel in Maryland has several important features worthy of emulation. First, it proposes a “mixed model,” which means that services would be … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Counsel, Access to Justice Boards, Access to Justice Generally, Funding, Middle Income | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Maryland Access to Justice Commission Civil Right to Counsel Implementation Analysis includes Mixed Model and Cost Estimate

New York Courts Document Assembly Innovations — Spanish Instructions and Court Awards

Posted on January 16, 2011 by richardzorza

The New York courts are implementing integrating Spanish instructions into their DIY document assembly program.  If users so choose, the online questions appear in Spanish as well as English  and the printed instructions to the litigants also appear in Spanish. … Continue reading →

Posted in Document Assembly, LEP, Self-Help Services, Technology | Tagged , | 2 Comments