Category Archives: Access to Justice Generally

Claudia Johnson Guest Post: Appellate Courts show willingness to reverse decisions where due process and decisions are not explained in SRL cases—Are DV cases the canary and a natural for innovation?

Posted on July 20, 2016 by richardzorza

Multiple decisions have come to my attention where appellate courts are reversing trial courts on cases where one of the parties did not have a lawyer. All cases come from Domestic  Violence dockets. Is this a new trend for DV … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Appellate Practice, Document Assembly, Domestic Violence, Family Law, Guest Bloggers, Judicial Ethics, Self-Help Services | 1 Comment

The Legal System Continues, per Ginsburg, J., To Protect the Constitutional System Against Trump

Posted on July 11, 2016 by richardzorza

Yesterday morning the New York Times published a precedent-shattering interview with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Unless they have a book to sell, Supreme Court justices rarely give interviews. Even then, they diligently avoid political topics. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg takes … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Constitution, Judicial Ethics, Supreme Court, White House | 1 Comment

Advocate System Versus System That Does Not Need Advocates

Posted on July 8, 2016 by richardzorza

A recent conversation with my friend Peter Fielding, a doctor who lives at our retirement community about patient/client advocates led to some interesting conclusions for both the medical and legal worlds. When Peter and I discussed the fact that some … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Attorney-Client, Medical System Comparision, Systematic Change | 6 Comments

Analysis of Article 50 of Lisbon Treaty – The Secession Provision

Posted on June 25, 2016 by richardzorza

It is strange that there has been so little analysis of Article 50 of the 2007 Lisbon Treaty, which is being relied on in the UK’s apparently likely request for withdrawal. I share with you, therefore, this fascinating article by … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, International Cooperation | 2 Comments

Strategic Planning for Access for All Released

Posted on June 14, 2016 by richardzorza

Here it is, the RFP for state strategic planning for access to Justice  for all. While the document speaks for itself, this might provide a good opportunity for some reminders and observations. I can not emphasize enough that these observations … Continue reading →

Posted in 100% Access Strategy and Campaign, Access to Justice Boards, Access to Justice Generally, Funding, Outcome Measures | Comments Off on Strategic Planning for Access for All Released

Social Workers as Nonlawyer Service Providers

Posted on June 7, 2016 by richardzorza

The recent Report from the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission includes, in addition to many achievements and interesting ideas, a fascinating statistic about social workers in nonlawyer roles. The Third Commission, through its Social Services Committee, continued to focus on … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Boards, Access to Justice Generally, Non-Lawyer Practice, Social Workers | 5 Comments

Watching for Signs of Dictatorship and the Legal System

Posted on June 4, 2016 by richardzorza

When I started my politics and humor blog, I had intended to maintain a pretty rigid line between the materials on that blog and this one. It is a measure of how much things have deteriorated in the last month … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Bar Associations, Constitution, Federal Courts, White House | Comments Off on Watching for Signs of Dictatorship and the Legal System

Great NYT Online Piece on “Legal Aid With A Digital Twist” Features Claudia Johnson, Law Help Interactive, and Others

Posted on June 1, 2016 by richardzorza

At last, the media is staring to “get” that legal aid is not just traditional advocacy. The Time’s Fixes has a piece on digital expungment, ATJ hackathons, our guest blogger Claudia Johnson, Law Help Interactive and more. The rise of … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Consumer Rights, expungement, Foreclosure, Forms, Self-Help Services, Technology | Comments Off on Great NYT Online Piece on “Legal Aid With A Digital Twist” Features Claudia Johnson, Law Help Interactive, and Others

Additional Evidence That Constitutional Institutions Are Moving to Protect the Constittional Balance

Posted on May 28, 2016 by richardzorza

I recently blogged about how US institutions are moving to protect the Constitution in the event of a Trump Presidency. Now comes evidence that the Federal Courts, at least, are moving to make it less likely that one who has … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Constitution, Federal Courts | Comments Off on Additional Evidence That Constitutional Institutions Are Moving to Protect the Constittional Balance

Claudia Johnson Suggests Incentive Awards ATJ Innovation

Posted on May 26, 2016 by richardzorza

These observations are from Claudia Johnson. Thanks, Claudia, as always. Let’s create a Competition to solve the Access to Justice Problem! At the recent SRLN, the keynote speaker, Judge Burke from Minneapolis, gave took us back to basics and went … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Incnetives, Technology | 1 Comment

Find and Join The Patient Council at Your Hospital — a Way to Learn About User-Centered Organizations

Posted on May 20, 2016 by richardzorza

Following up on Department of Justice Access to Justice Director Lisa Foster’s recent speech, and my video on “The Litigant Voice,” I had an idea about how we can all start to think about, in Lisa Foster’s words: What if … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Court Management, Litigant Voice, Medical System Comparision, Self-Help Services | Comments Off on Find and Join The Patient Council at Your Hospital — a Way to Learn About User-Centered Organizations

Lisa Foster’s ATJ Commissions Meeting Speech Focuses on Big Changes

Posted on May 15, 2016 by richardzorza

Lisa Foster’s speech at the ATJ’s Commission focus not on the usual self-congratulation, but on the encourages big changes in focus and vision.  While I did not travel to Chicago for the Conference this year, just the text alone conveys … Continue reading →

Posted in 100% Access Strategy and Campaign, Access to Justice Generally, Budget Issues, Chasm with Communities, Dept. of Justice, LAIR, Legal Aid, Litigant Voice, Media, Mediation, Medical System Comparision, Poverty, Reentry, Self-Help Services, Simplification, SRLN, Systematic Change, Technology, video, White House | Comments Off on Lisa Foster’s ATJ Commissions Meeting Speech Focuses on Big Changes

Important Suggestions for All of Us as State Dept Official Comments on What Retired Foreign Service Officers Can and Might Tell People Around the World to Reassure About US Stability

Posted on May 11, 2016 by richardzorza

At the American Foreign Services Association day at the U.S State Department on Friday, I got to ask John Heffern, Principal Assistant Deputy Secretary, and a career officer, about what retired Foreign Services Officers could and might tell their friends … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, International Cooperation | Comments Off on Important Suggestions for All of Us as State Dept Official Comments on What Retired Foreign Service Officers Can and Might Tell People Around the World to Reassure About US Stability

Video of the SRLN Day at the Equal Justice Conference Will be Available

Posted on May 11, 2016 by richardzorza

Video will soon be made available. Full agenda below (Central time): 7:30 – 8:30 Newbie Coffee Hour Led by Melissa Moss, Deputy Director for Strategic Initiatives at The Florida Bar Foundation. See http://www.srln.org/node/905 for details. If this is your 1st … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Meetings, SRLN | Comments Off on Video of the SRLN Day at the Equal Justice Conference Will be Available

US Institutions, Maybe Even SCOTUS, Prepare to Protect Against a President Trump

Posted on May 10, 2016 by richardzorza

I just posted on my Politics and Humor blog, a post about how US institutions are moving to prepare to protect themselves (and us too) against a possible Trump presidency. I share here the highly speculative paragraph on the Supreme … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally | 1 Comment