Category Archives: Court Fees and Costs

What Does It Say That Courts Records Are No Longer To Be Used For Credit Score Calculating and Reporting

Posted on March 12, 2017 by richardzorza

What a judgment on the courts.  As reported by the Washington Post — (Kenneth R. Harney): In a little-known policy shift, the three national credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — plan to stop collecting and reporting substantial amounts … Continue reading →

Posted in Bankruptcy, Consumer Rights, Court Fees and Costs, Court Management, Debt Collction, Evictions, Foreclosure, Housing | 3 Comments

Estimating Impact on Economic Mobility From Court Fees System

Posted on August 31, 2016 by richardzorza

Today’s Times has a highly pertinent piece on the dramatic effect of court fees and costs on those caught in the juvenile justice system.  Obviously it relates deeply to all the economic burdens that the legal system is imposing on … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Chasm with Communities, Court Fees and Costs, Metrics | 3 Comments

Integrating the ABA Futures Report and the Justice For All Components

Posted on August 14, 2016 by richardzorza

Its finally here, the ABA Future of Legal Services Report. As expected, it covers a lot of ground, and is a lot to read. As an aid to speedy integration into other projects, I have prepared this table that compares … Continue reading →

Posted in 100% Access Strategy and Campaign, ABA, Access to Counsel, Access to Justice Generally, Alternative Business Structures, Attorney-Client, Bar Associations, Court Fees and Costs, Court Management, Document Assembly, E-filing, Incnetives, Law Schools, Legal Aid, Legal Ethics, LEP, Mediation, Middle Income, Mixed Model, Non-Lawyer Practice, Outcome Measures, Plain Language, Planning, Referral Systems, Research and Evalation, Rules Reform, Self-Help Services, Simplification, Systematic Change, Technology, Transparency, Triage, Unbundling | 2 Comments

DOJ Dear Colleague Letter on Fines and Forfeiture is Another Game Changer

Posted on March 14, 2016 by richardzorza

As the Times reports, DOJ has issued and sent to all the state chief  justices and state court administrators a Dear Colleague letter on the subject of court fines and fees.  The helpful and positive tone of the letter is … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Bail, Chasm with Communities, Court Fees and Costs, Funding, Judicial Ethics | 2 Comments

Making a Mockery of Indigents’ Right Of Court Access, and a Former Chief Justice shows Leadership

Posted on October 26, 2015 by richardzorza

A clerk in Texas has been making a mockery of the right of access to justice of indigents.  As explained in the Texas Tribune: In 2012, six plaintiffs from Tarrant County sued the local district court clerk for charging them … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Court Fees and Costs, Court Management | 1 Comment

Disturbing Question — How on Earth Can a Public Defender Program Rely on Court Imposed Fees for its Budget?

Posted on September 19, 2015 by richardzorza

I am not sure I can stand this. According to its own communication director, the New Orleans public defender relies on fines and fees imposed by the court for 41% of its budget (NOLA CityLab here). New Orleans’ Office of … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Counsel, Attorney-Client, Bail, Court Fees and Costs, Defender Programs, Poverty | 3 Comments

ATJ Commissions Planning Survey Shows Energy, Common Directions and Interest in Multi-State Networking

Posted on July 29, 2015 by richardzorza

After the Access to Justice Commissions meeting this spring in Austin, the Commissions were invited to respond to a brief survey as to their interest in following up on the areas for possible initiatives that had been the focus of … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Boards, Chasm with Communities, Communications Strategy, Court Fees and Costs, Funding, Legal Aid, Metrics, Planning, Self-Help Services, Simplification, Technology | 1 Comment

Rapid California Court Rule Action Shows Momentum is Building on Fines and Fees Issue

Posted on June 8, 2015 by richardzorza

Here is the story.  On May 1, the Fresno Bee ran a story under the headline: ACLU: Traffic-ticket policy by Valley courts unconstitutional.  The core of the story follows: A court policy of making Valley traffic offenders pay fees upfront … Continue reading →

Posted in Chasm with Communities, Court Fees and Costs, Court Management, Poverty | 2 Comments

Counsel Who Won Bail Affordability Case Guest Blogs on “Human Beings in cages because they can not afford to pay money bail”

Posted on June 5, 2015 by richardzorza

This is an important post by Alec Karakatsanis, of Equal Justice Under Law, counsel in a recent victory in a case dealing with unaffordable cash bail.  The lawsuit was brought by Equal Justice Under Law and ArchCity Defenders, a non-profit … Continue reading →

Posted in Bail, Chasm with Communities, Court Fees and Costs, Public Defender, Reentry | 1 Comment

How State-Wide Groups Might Help Deal With The “Ferguson Chasm”

Posted on May 29, 2015 by richardzorza

Here are some suggestions for how ATJ Commissions and other statewide groups (or those just advocating) might move forward on addressing the “Ferguson Chasm” — the gap between communities and the entire legal system, epitomized by Ferguson using the court … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Boards, Chasm with Communities, Child Support, Court Fees and Costs, Policing, Self-Help Services, Simplification | Comments Off on How State-Wide Groups Might Help Deal With The “Ferguson Chasm”

The Broader Lessons of Ferguson and Baltimore Are Much More Challenging — Opportunities to Be Part of the Solution

Posted on May 25, 2015 by richardzorza

Some of us have begun calling it the Chasm — it’s the chasm between the legal system and the poor.  When the cops yell “stop”, young men do not make subtle legal distinctions between the civil and criminal justice systems.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Bankruptcy, Child Support, Court Fees and Costs, Court Management, Dept. of Justice, expungement | 2 Comments

DOJ ATJ Initiative Director Lisa Foster Keynotes at Equal Justice Conference

Posted on May 8, 2015 by richardzorza

As Department of Justice Access to to Justice Director Foster pointed out at her keynote at the Equal Justice Conference, yesterday (see below for full text), there have been sixteen of these Conferences.  What she did not point out was … Continue reading →

Posted in Court Fees and Costs, Criminal Law, Dept. of Justice, Funding, Research and Evalation, Self-Help Services, Systematic Change | Comments Off on DOJ ATJ Initiative Director Lisa Foster Keynotes at Equal Justice Conference

Can the Self-Represented Collect For Time When Required by Opposing Attorney — Canada Moves

Posted on December 2, 2013 by richardzorza

Julie Macfarlane has a fascinating blog on the emerging jurisprudence in Canada dealing with the award of costs when time is required by an opposing attorney’s wrongful activities.  As I understand it, this is analogous to the US Rule 11 sanctions.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Attorney-Client, Court Fees and Costs, Judicial Ethics | 5 Comments

Mass Charges Fee to Challenge Moving Violation — State Supreme Ct Challenge — Indigent Court Costs Statute

Posted on March 7, 2011 by richardzorza

That’s right.  In venerable Massachusetts, you have to pay a fee to challenge a traffic ticket (Boston Globe story). A challenge is now pending in the SJC (Supreme Judicial Court — Docket entries and briefs here).  The statistics appear to … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Court Fees and Costs, Legal Aid, Middle Income | Tagged | Comments Off on Mass Charges Fee to Challenge Moving Violation — State Supreme Ct Challenge — Indigent Court Costs Statute