Category Archives: Dept. of Justice

That Defendant Gates Is Looking for a Lawyer Can Only Mean that a New Conflict With Manafort has Now Become Clear

Posted on October 30, 2017 by richardzorza

This is really weird.  A defendant in a very high profile case, Gates, goes into court today essentially without a lawyer and has a public defender stand up for him on a very short term basis.  Its not a cost … Continue reading →

Posted in Attorney-Client, Criminal Law, Defender Programs, Dept. of Justice, Federal Courts, Legal Aid, Legal Ethics | Comments Off on That Defendant Gates Is Looking for a Lawyer Can Only Mean that a New Conflict With Manafort has Now Become Clear

Speculative Thoughts on Changing Lawyers in Mid-Case — Manafort Edition

Posted on August 10, 2017 by richardzorza

I want to draw your attention to the some specific language in the Politico story on Paul Manafort’s change of lawyers, quoting a Manafort spokesman (see especially my bold language): A spokesman confirmed the change. “Mr. Manafort is in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Counsel, Access to Justice Generally, Attorney-Client, Criminal Law, Dept. of Justice, Judicial Ethics, Legal Ethics | Comments Off on Speculative Thoughts on Changing Lawyers in Mid-Case — Manafort Edition

The Trump Endgame Is Going To Be About the Intersection of Political and Legal Contexts, Which Together Will Work To Speed the Process

Posted on May 20, 2017 by richardzorza

There are several reasons why the received wisdom about the speed of the Trump removal process may be completely wrong.  Not surprisingly, most of the reasons relate as much to the political as to the legal context. One:  Perhaps most … Continue reading →

Posted in Dept. of Justice, History, Judicial Supremacy, White House | Comments Off on The Trump Endgame Is Going To Be About the Intersection of Political and Legal Contexts, Which Together Will Work To Speed the Process

Prosecutors Getting Rid of the Independent Commission on Forensic Science is Short-Sighted as well as Incomprehensible.

Posted on April 11, 2017 by richardzorza

I simply offer you this cross examination of every investigator or expert: Q.   Thanks for your testimony, I am sure it will help the jury, but just a few things to clear up.  When did you get your training in … Continue reading →

Posted in Criminal Law, Defender Programs, Dept. of Justice, Policing, Science, Technology, White House | Comments Off on Prosecutors Getting Rid of the Independent Commission on Forensic Science is Short-Sighted as well as Incomprehensible.

Mary McClymont’s Governing Magazine Op-Ed Moves the Chief’s Resolution and Justice For All Message to the Other Branches

Posted on March 30, 2017 by richardzorza

I suspect that most in the non-judicial branches are still largely unaware of the the Chiefs’ 100% Resolution, making access to justice the office bi-partisan policy of the United States, let alone that they have thought about the implications for … Continue reading →

Posted in 100% Access Strategy and Campaign, Access to Justice Boards, Communications Strategy, Dept. of Justice, Funding, LAIR, Systematic Change | 1 Comment

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

Karen Lash, LAIR, Transitions and the Future

Posted on January 19, 2017 by richardzorza

Another sad but expected one. As Karen Lash of the DOJ Access to Justice Office announced, with her usual grace and optimism, in an email earlier today: Today is my last day with the U.S. Department of Justice Office for … Continue reading →

Posted in Dept. of Justice, Funding, LAIR, Transitions | Comments Off on Karen Lash, LAIR, Transitions and the Future

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

Now is the Time to Preserve the History of Government (and More) on the Internet –The WayBack Machine

Posted on January 18, 2017 by richardzorza

Very few people know about the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.  It is an amazing tool, which lets you look at the history of websites, that is to say how they have looked over time. Here, picking an example totally at … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumer Rights, Dept. of Justice, Evidence, Freedom of Expression, Technology, Tools | Comments Off on Now is the Time to Preserve the History of Government (and More) on the Internet –The WayBack Machine

Official Report on Russian Hacking Recommends Actions by Organizations

Posted on December 29, 2016 by richardzorza

In order to understand what is happening in the world, everyone should look at the new DHS/FBI Report on the Russian hacking.  It is here.  This para introduces the chilling facts: This Joint Analysis Report (JAR) is the result of … Continue reading →

Posted in Dept. of Justice, Security | Comments Off on Official Report on Russian Hacking Recommends Actions by Organizations

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

Washington Post Explains Why Last Minute Regs Are Worth It

Posted on December 1, 2016 by richardzorza

The Washington Post explains here why even last minute regs are worth the effort. While Republicans are already warning that they will reverse some of the rules Obama will issue during the last months of his presidency, White House officials … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Dept. of Justice, Federal Agencies, Planning, White House | Comments Off on Washington Post Explains Why Last Minute Regs Are Worth It

DOJ and FTC Weigh In on Exempting Websites from the Practice of Law

Posted on November 4, 2016 by richardzorza

On June 16 of this year, North Carolina passed a law creating a limited carve-out from the definition of the practice of law for websites that met certain requirements.  The bill is here.  There has been robust critique of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Alternative Business Structures, Anti-Trust, Bar Associations, De-Regulation, Dept. of Justice, Document Assembly, Federal Agencies, Forms, Non-Lawyer Practice, Plain Language, Rules Reform, Technology | Comments Off on DOJ and FTC Weigh In on Exempting Websites from the Practice of Law

Launching of National Center For Access To Justice Highlights Criminal/Civil Overlap and Opportunities

Posted on November 3, 2016 by richardzorza

The recent launch of the National Center for Access to Justice at Fordham Law School is a good illustration of the progress we are making in getting beyond the traditional and incomprehensible “wall,” between civil and criminal ATJ issues.  Those … Continue reading →

Posted in Chasm with Communities, Criminal Law, Defender Programs, Dept. of Justice, Legal Aid, LSC | 1 Comment

Thinking About Access to Justice and The Coming Transition

Posted on October 23, 2016 by richardzorza

Given that Karl Rove has effectively conceded the election, its surely time to start thinking about opportunities for access to justice in the transition. Obviously, this is going to be very different from the last transition eight years ago.  It … Continue reading →

Posted in 100% Access Strategy and Campaign, Access to Justice Generally, Administative Proecdure, Defender Programs, Dept. of Justice, Federal Agencies, Funding, LAIR, Legal Aid, LSC, Mixed Model, Non-Lawyer Practice | Comments Off on Thinking About Access to Justice and The Coming Transition