Category Archives: Access to Justice Generally

What Emma Lazarus Would Write Today

Posted on February 1, 2017 by richardzorza

Christine Webb is a British poet of great accomplishment and also a close multi-generational family friend. I feel honored that we are able to share this magnificent poem that Christine has written in response to recent actions taken in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Dept. of Justice, Immigration, International Cooperation, Personal, White House | 2 Comments

On the Need for Uncompromising Reassertions of Neutral Principles Regardless of Inevitable Political Implications

Posted on January 31, 2017 by richardzorza

There is obviously a lot to cheer about today, as different aspects of our complex, flexible, and therefore very resilient system starts to trigger its anti-fascism-antibodies. One of the most important, in the long term, may be the fact that … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Constitution, International Cooperation, Judicial Ethics, Science | Comments Off on On the Need for Uncompromising Reassertions of Neutral Principles Regardless of Inevitable Political Implications

Transitions: Access to Justice Office

Posted on January 18, 2017 by richardzorza

Sadly, there are going to be a lot of these in the next few days. This is from an email sent out by Lisa Foster, outgoing Director of the Office for Access to Justice at DOJ.  The good news is … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Dept. of Justice, LAIR, Systematic Change | Comments Off on Transitions: Access to Justice Office

Moving Forward With Federal ATJ Data Collection To Support the Chiefs 100% Access Resolution

Posted on January 18, 2017 by richardzorza

Its a routine thing, best seen as the normal functioning of government, which is coming more and more to recognize the nonpartisan importance of access to justice issues and measures to all government goals, including making the system work for … Continue reading →

Posted in 100% Access Strategy and Campaign, Access to Justice Generally, Census Bureau, LAIR, Legal Aid, Metrics, SRL Statistics, Systematic Change, Triage | 1 Comment

A Challenge: How Do We Even Out The Rates of Media Outreach Capacity for Access to Justice at the National and States Level?

Posted on January 14, 2017 by richardzorza

Voices for Civil Justice, funded by the Public Welfare Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, and others, and headed by Martha Bergmark, has done amazing work in terms of getting the access to justice messave out at the national level. They have … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Boards, Access to Justice Generally, Communications Strategy, Legal Aid | 1 Comment

Dean Minnow’s Retirement From Harvard Law Deanship Reminds Us of Law Schools Importance to and Potential For Access to Justice

Posted on January 3, 2017 by richardzorza

In a time of many transitions, we must note the news, sad for access to justice, that Dean Martha Minnow will be retiring, after eight years of very significant achievement, from the deanship of Harvard Law School. I suspect that … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Counsel, Access to Justice Generally, Incubators, International Cooperation, International Models, Non-Lawyer Practice, Outcome Measures, Personal, Simplification, Systematic Change, Transitions | Comments Off on Dean Minnow’s Retirement From Harvard Law Deanship Reminds Us of Law Schools Importance to and Potential For Access to Justice

The New HHS Child Support Regs Will Increase Child Support Payments and Strengthen the Argument for Expanded Self-Help Services

Posted on December 21, 2016 by richardzorza

There is additional good news in the new HHS Child Support regs, which are to be effective Jan 19, 2017 (analysis and link to full text of regs here).  They will increase payments to custodial parents, and they also strengthen … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Debt Collction, Document Assembly, Family Law, Federal Agencies, Forms, Funding, Non-Lawyer Practice, Self-Help Services | Comments Off on The New HHS Child Support Regs Will Increase Child Support Payments and Strengthen the Argument for Expanded Self-Help Services

Final Rule Facilitating Non-Lawyer Practice in Immigration System, Taking Effect Jan 18, Reminds of the Relevance of This Approach in Access Reform

Posted on December 19, 2016 by richardzorza

Time  passes.  On Jan 18, the rules changes governing non-lawyer practice in the immigration system — which in this way, although surely not others, could be a model for other forums, take effect.  As explained in the Notice in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Immigration, Non-Lawyer Practice | 2 Comments

Principles for Legitimacy In Questioned Elections

Posted on December 19, 2016 by richardzorza

Given the extreme importance for access to justice that even highly inflammatory issues are decided on a neutral and principled basis, I cross post my recent blog that discusses Legitimacy.  The Principles are intended to be non-partisan and universal. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Congress, Constitution, Judicial Ethics | 1 Comment

Media Coverage for “Roles Beyond Lawyers” Spreads

Posted on December 14, 2016 by richardzorza

There is already some media coverage for the Roles Beyond Lawyers Report. In the shocking but likely event that some of your constituencies might find the Wall Street Journal or WNYC more reliable than my blog, here are links to … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Court Management, Media, Non-Lawyer Practice | Comments Off on Media Coverage for “Roles Beyond Lawyers” Spreads

The First “Roles Beyond Lawyers” Full Evaluation Report Moves Us to a Whole New Stage of Expanding the Use of Nonlawyers

Posted on December 14, 2016 by richardzorza

The Public Welfare Foundation,  American Bar Foundation and the National Center for State Courts have just released their report on the “Roles Beyond Lawyers” Navigators program in New York.  Its finding of positive impacts from all three of the pilot … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Non-Lawyer Practice, Research and Evalation, Rules Reform, Self-Help Services, Social Workers | 2 Comments

Timely and Powerful New Immigration Planning and Action Tool

Posted on December 8, 2016 by richardzorza

The Immigration Action Network and Pro Bono Net have just launched a major new online tool to help those facing immigration issues.  It is obviously overwhelmingly timely, as people we know, who working with us, or provide services to us … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Immigration, Self-Help Services, Technology | 1 Comment

How to Compare the Appropriateness of Potential ATJ Indicators

Posted on December 4, 2016 by richardzorza

David Udell has challenged me to identify, from the recent indicators report, some of the “best indicators.”  Before I even think about doing that, I have tried to identify eleven criteria for a perfect indicator. The data is already being … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Funding, Justice Index, Outcome Measures, Research and Evalation, Series: Outcome Measures, SRL Statistics | Comments Off on How to Compare the Appropriateness of Potential ATJ Indicators

Report on Symposium on Indicators — A Process That Will Go On

Posted on December 3, 2016 by richardzorza

Back abut a thousand years ago, on September 15, 2016, an important Symposium on indicators was organized by Risa Kaufman and David Udell.  They jointly blogged about it yesterday: On September 15, 2016, access to justice experts from the academic … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Dept. of Justice, Federal Agencies, Justice Index, Metrics, Outcome Measures, Research and Evalation, SRL Statistics | Comments Off on Report on Symposium on Indicators — A Process That Will Go On

Mary McClymont Announces Her Late 2017 Departure as President of Public Welfare Foundation

Posted on December 2, 2016 by richardzorza

Sometimes a blogger has the joy of sharing good newss.  But sometimes you have to be the sharer of sad news. Today, Mary McClymont has announced that she will be leaving as President of the Public Welfare Foundation, effective when … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Funding, Personal, Public Welfare Foundation | Comments Off on Mary McClymont Announces Her Late 2017 Departure as President of Public Welfare Foundation