Category Archives: Forms

Claudia Johnson On Ideas for the 2012 TIG Round

Posted on February 22, 2012 by richardzorza

The Legal Services Corporation has made available their Letter of Intent Request for this cycle of TIG grants. The letters are due 3/12/2012. More information can be found here. The areas of interest are 4 this year: a) using mobile … Continue reading →

Posted in Forms, Funding, Technology | 2 Comments

Leveraging Forms, Unbundled Assistance, and Lawyer Referral Systems

Posted on February 2, 2012 by richardzorza

Here is an idea that might simultaneously assist in the adoption and expansion of forms, promote unbundling, and bring the lawyer referral services groups into better addressing access issues. It is simple.  Court forms should include in the general instructions … Continue reading →

Posted in Forms, Unbundling | Tagged | 1 Comment

National Forms Availabilty Data and Talking Points

Posted on February 1, 2012 by richardzorza

The Texas Access to Justice Commission, during their advocacy for forms in the face of bar opposition, did a wonderful job of surveying states for their availability of forms.  Here is a spreadsheet showing the results.  Here is a snapshot … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Boards, Forms | Tagged | 1 Comment

Texas Supreme Court Moves Forward on Forms

Posted on January 25, 2012 by richardzorza

Real leadership from the Texas Supreme Court.  Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson has responded to the State Bar’s position on forms with this letter to the President of the State Bar.  Here is the key language:

Posted in Access to Justice Boards, Access to Justice Generally, Forms | Tagged | 2 Comments

Texas Reports on 22 State Research Into Impact of Forms

Posted on January 25, 2012 by richardzorza

The Texas forms mess, as so often with such situations, is yielding some useful byproducts. This data, collected by the Texas Access to Justice Commission, and blogged about by Carl Reynolds, the Administrator of the State Administrate Office of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Boards, Forms | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Carl Reynolds, Texas State Court Administrator, Blogs on Forms Issue

Posted on January 25, 2012 by richardzorza

Carl Reynolds, the Administrator of the Texas Office of Court Administration, has posted a blog post on the state bar’s reaction to the forms issue. It is well worth reading, not only for its substance, but for showing the value … Continue reading →

Posted in Forms, Self-Help Services | Tagged , | Comments Off on Carl Reynolds, Texas State Court Administrator, Blogs on Forms Issue

For Texas Access Advocates, No Good Deed Goes Appreciated

Posted on January 23, 2012 by richardzorza

Law.com is carrying a remarkable story out of Texas.  Under the heading Draft Forms for Pro Se Divorce Litigants Create Controversy, the site is reporting on the frankly remarkably intense reaction of the Texas Family Bar to plans for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Boards, Forms | Tagged | 13 Comments

Written Versus Oral Reporting — Implications for Forms Programs

Posted on December 1, 2011 by richardzorza

Question for readers of this post. It is getting a lot of hits. Does anyone know what is listing/referring/using it?  My analytics are not telling me anything.  Please tell me by sending me an e-mail, richard(at)zorza.net. Thanks: ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Richard Moorhead … Continue reading →

Posted in Document Assembly, Forms, Research and Evalation, Technology | 3 Comments

Judge Fern Fisher Testifies for Court Simplification as Access Solution

Posted on October 1, 2011 by richardzorza

This is an important harbinger.  Judge Fern A. Fisher, Deputy Chief Administrative Judge, NYC Courts and Director of the NYS Courts Access to Justice Program, recently testified to a state Access Task Force Hearing about the importance of court simplification … Continue reading →

Posted in Court Management, Forms, Systematic Change | Comments Off on Judge Fern Fisher Testifies for Court Simplification as Access Solution

Jim McMillan Blogs on E-Filing and the Self-Represented

Posted on September 9, 2011 by richardzorza

Jim McMillan of NCSC’s Court Technology Bulletin blogs today on his Rule 6 for e-filing. E-Filing Must Support the Self-Represented The whole post is very valuable, but here is some of the key language: So how are states going to … Continue reading →

Posted in Forms, Technology | Tagged | Comments Off on Jim McMillan Blogs on E-Filing and the Self-Represented

Plain Language Advocacy and the Michigan State Bar

Posted on August 24, 2011 by richardzorza

This sounds unusual.  The state bar of Michigan not only has a plain language committee, but a regular column in their bar journal on the subject.  Here is a list of the most recent of those columns. Ambiguous Drafting and … Continue reading →

Posted in Forms, LEP | Tagged | 2 Comments

Order in LegalZoom Case

Posted on August 10, 2011 by richardzorza

See August 23, 2011, update at end of post for links to reports of proposed settlement in this case The District Court has issued an order in the Missouri LegalZoom Case. Bottom line:  The District Court rejects LegalZoom’s Motion for … Continue reading →

Posted in Document Assembly, Forms, Technology | Tagged | 2 Comments

Important New Report/Compilation on Self-Representation Resources in the States from John Greacen and Michigan State Bar Foundation

Posted on August 2, 2011 by richardzorza

We have long needed a compilation of what the states have in place to assist the self-represented, and the Michigan State Bar Foundation recently contracted with John Greacen of Greacen Associates to prepare such a document to assist the state … Continue reading →

Posted in Document Assembly, Forms, Judicial Ethics, Self-Help Services, Technology | Comments Off on Important New Report/Compilation on Self-Representation Resources in the States from John Greacen and Michigan State Bar Foundation

NCSC Issues Compilation of Re-Engineering Ideas

Posted on July 29, 2011 by richardzorza

The National Center for State Courts has issued an eleven page complication of ideas for re-engineering. Lots of good stuff.  Here is the summary chart:

Posted in Document Assembly, Forms, Systematic Change, Technology, Triage | Comments Off on NCSC Issues Compilation of Re-Engineering Ideas

E-Filing Assistance for the Self-Represented: Seattle Law Library Shows the Way

Posted on July 21, 2011 by richardzorza

One day we will have integrated customer friendly e-filing linked to document assembly software on the one end, and court case management software on the other. Till then, kudos to those self-help oriented programs that are trying to make access … Continue reading →

Posted in Forms, Libraries, Technology | Tagged | 2 Comments