Category Archives: Funding

NCSC Study Finds Public Support for Technology and Self-Represented Accessibility, Implications for 100% Goal

Posted on December 16, 2015 by richardzorza

The National Center for State Courts recently conducted a public opinion survey about the courts. Probably the most important findings: Public demand for more self-sufficiency highlights a path forward. Our last survey found a clear demand for greater use of … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Communications Strategy, Funding, Self-Help Services | 1 Comment

What Might “Access to Justice Sullivan Principles” Look Like?

Posted on November 9, 2015 by richardzorza

I recently blogged about the idea of access to justice “Sullivan Principles”.  As man will remember, the Sullivan Principles were a set of principles for corporations about dealing with the old apartheid regime in South Africa.  While some criticized these … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumer Rights, Funding, Rules Reform, Simplification | Comments Off on What Might “Access to Justice Sullivan Principles” Look Like?

Presidential Memorandum on Access to Justice and Legal Aid Interagency Roundtale is Major Milestone in Creating the National ATJ Mosaic

Posted on September 24, 2015 by richardzorza

A big deal.  The President has put in place a Presidential Memorandum on access to justice and the Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable (LAIR).  This joins the Conference of Chiefs/COSCA 100% Resolution as the second huge piece in the national Mosaic … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Budget Issues, Discrimination, Funding, International Cooperation, Outcome Measures, Research and Evalation, Tools, White House | 6 Comments

Comments to FCC Could Help Support Broadband Access fund

Posted on August 26, 2015 by richardzorza

On July 17, the FCC proposed a rule change that would modernize and expand its lifeline program.  The current comment period (following extension) closes on Sept 30, 2015. While there are massive technical changes in the proposal, the bottom line … Continue reading →

Posted in Funding, Poverty, Technology | Comments Off on Comments to FCC Could Help Support Broadband Access fund

Legislative Funding Best Practices For Legal Aid Endorsed by CCJ and COSCA Apply to Broad Definition of Legal Aid

Posted on August 14, 2015 by richardzorza

As I recently blogged, the Conference of Chiefs and the Conference of State Court Administrators passed three important and inter-related Resolutions recently.  The first was about 100% access to justice, and the second about Best Practices for Supreme Court support … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Boards, Funding, Judicial Ethics, Legal Aid | 1 Comment

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

The Needed Components for National ATJ Initiative Taking

Posted on May 26, 2015 by richardzorza

A couple of years ago, I blogged about what a state capacity for access to justice might look like.  Folks might find this post useful to start to talk about evaluation of the progress of their state’s ATJ Commission (or … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Boards, Bar Associations, Communications Strategy, Dept. of Justice, Funding | Comments Off on The Needed Components for National ATJ Initiative Taking

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

Broader Lessons From NYT Highlighted Brennan Center Book Featuring Presidential Candidates (and others) on Criminal Justice Reform

Posted on April 28, 2015 by richardzorza

The Times rightly highlights the astonishing fact of how many of the presidential candidates, regardless of party, agree on the need for often similar reforms of the criminal justice system, in this new book released today by the Brennan Center.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Criminal Law, Funding | Comments Off on Broader Lessons From NYT Highlighted Brennan Center Book Featuring Presidential Candidates (and others) on Criminal Justice Reform

Jim Greiner Asks “What is Access to Justice For?”

Posted on March 28, 2015 by richardzorza

Jim Greiner, in a recent two part post for the Haarvard Law and Policy Review (here and here), urges that we need to decide what we are trying to achieve in our access work. He points out that without a … Continue reading →

Posted in Funding, Research and Evalation, Systematic Change | Comments Off on Jim Greiner Asks “What is Access to Justice For?”

Child Support Proposals in the President’s Budget Would Support Research Into Innovative Approaches

Posted on February 6, 2015 by richardzorza

Mark Greenberg, Acting Assistant Secretary, Administration for Children and Families has this to say in summarizing the budget proposals on child support: For the Child Support Program, we are renewing a number of prior proposals for efforts to ensure that … Continue reading →

Posted in Child Support, Funding, Research and Evalation, Self-Help Services | 1 Comment

President’s Budget Proposes Civil Legal Research and Civil Legal Aid Competitive Grant Program

Posted on February 4, 2015 by richardzorza

Two important development for the future in the federal budget process.  While these proposals are unlikely to be sucessful tis year, they help create the environment thefuture, and can also be cited for the position of the Executive as to … Continue reading →

Posted in Defender Programs, Dept. of Justice, Funding, Triage, White House | 1 Comment

Guest Post From Elizabeth Arledge: #LegalAid Voices “Storm” the Twitterverse

Posted on January 20, 2015 by richardzorza

Elizabeth writes as follows: Well, THAT was fun. Something amazing happened last week on the way to tonight’s State of the Union address. When Voices for Civil Justice invited members of our JusticeVoices network to participate in a “Twitter storm” … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Communications Strategy, Funding, White House | Comments Off on Guest Post From Elizabeth Arledge: #LegalAid Voices “Storm” the Twitterverse

The Power of the Pen and Phone — Exploring Opportunities for Access to Justice in the Next Two Years

Posted on January 16, 2015 by richardzorza

Recent executive actions in immigration, and now asset forfeiture underline just how great is the President’s “power of the pen and phone.” — his ability by regulation or other executive action to make very significant changes in the way government … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Administative Proecdure, Budget Issues, Dept. of Justice, Document Assembly, E-filing, Funding, Law Schools, Non-Lawyer Practice, Veterans, White House | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Power of the Pen and Phone — Exploring Opportunities for Access to Justice in the Next Two Years

Analysis of Proposed Regs on HHS IV-D Child Support Money — Comments Due Jan 16 — Opportunity to Help Finance Self-Help Infrastructure

Posted on January 7, 2015 by richardzorza

I have long been urging states to take advantage of the IV-D program, which through uncapped matching, triples state investment in child support activities, to help finance self-help services.  Several states such as California do so, and California has used … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Child Support, Court Management, Funding, Self-Help Services | Comments Off on Analysis of Proposed Regs on HHS IV-D Child Support Money — Comments Due Jan 16 — Opportunity to Help Finance Self-Help Infrastructure