Category Archives: Legal Aid

Simply Brilliant — Florida Bar Foundation and SRLN Maps Show Hurricane Impacts and Legal Vulnerability

Posted on November 9, 2017 by richardzorza

I do not think of myself as someone who “gushes” about every innovation, but this is so wonderful. If you were ever skeptical about the value of mapping and GIS for access to justice, just look at these and change … Continue reading →

Posted in 100% Access Strategy and Campaign, Access to Justice Boards, Census Bureau, Legal Aid, Mapping/GIS, Research and Evalation, SRLN, Technology | Comments Off on Simply Brilliant — Florida Bar Foundation and SRLN Maps Show Hurricane Impacts and Legal Vulnerability

Thoughts on the Shriver Study

Posted on November 4, 2017 by richardzorza

It is now several months since the California Shriver Pilot Report was issued.  The findings and recommendations concerning benefits of counsel have been widely disseminated. (Report announcement summary here) So, I want to here highlight some of the findings that … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Counsel, Access to Justice Generally, Court Management, Document Assembly, E-filing, Legal Aid, Self-Help Services | Comments Off on Thoughts on the Shriver Study

Oral History Interview Fragment: Future of Access to Justice

Posted on November 3, 2017 by richardzorza

Last week, I was honored to be interviewed by Alan Houseman for the oral history project of the National Equal Justice Library. I will be posting fragments that folks might find useful. This first one actually comes near the end … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, History, Legal Aid, LSC, Non-Lawyer Practice, Referral Systems, Systematic Change, video | 2 Comments

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

A Broader Branding Perspective for Access to Justice — Service and Change

Posted on September 9, 2017 by richardzorza

I think it may be time to think our way through to a new and broader way we think and talk about our movement.  These suggestions are based on assumptions that I list below, that are strongly supported by the … Continue reading →

Posted in ABA, Access to Justice Generally, Bar Associations, Chasm with Communities, Communications Strategy, Legal Aid, Non-Lawyer Practice, Political Support, Public Welfare Foundation, Systematic Change | 1 Comment

My Wife Joan Zorza Honored by Boston College Law School For Her Domestic Violence Work

Posted on July 26, 2017 by richardzorza

As described in the Summer 2017 issue of BC Law, Joan was given one of the five Law Day awards this year by Boston College Law School for her lifetime of dedicated work in domestic violence and sexual assault.  She … Continue reading →

Posted in Domestic Violence, Family Law, Law Schools, Legal Aid, Personal, Vocation | 1 Comment

Professional-Client Partnering Lessons

Posted on July 22, 2017 by richardzorza

Note: This is an access to just version of a recent post on my Patient Partnering Site. A recently published tool intended to be used by medical institutions to encourage their patients to think of themselves as members of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Attorney-Client, Bar Associations, Communications Strategy, Court Management, Defender Programs, Law Schools, Legal Aid, Legal Ethics, LSC, Medical System Comparision, Self-Help Services, Systematic Change, Usabilty | 1 Comment

Video of Mary McClymont on Importance of Justice For All Innovations For Every Substantive Issue

Posted on June 7, 2017 by richardzorza

Recently, I blogged about Mary McClymont’s moving and wonderful speech when she got the Champion of Justice Award. Now, here is the video. Some of the key text: .  .  .  there is good news: the crisis has given rise … Continue reading →

Posted in 100% Access Strategy and Campaign, Access to Justice Boards, Access to Justice Generally, Bar Associations, Communications Strategy, Court Management, Funding, Law Schools, Legal Aid, Media, Political Support, Poverty, Public Education, Public Welfare Foundation, Self-Help Services, Social Workers, Systematic Change | Comments Off on Video of Mary McClymont on Importance of Justice For All Innovations For Every Substantive Issue

The LSC – Pro Bono Net – Microsoft Statewide ATJ Portal

Posted on May 8, 2017 by richardzorza

Now that the pilot states for the ATJ Statewide Portal Project have been announced as the two states of Alaska and Hawaii, we can start to see what it is all going to look like. At a minimum, it helps … Continue reading →

Posted in 100% Access Strategy and Campaign, Court Management, Funding, Legal Aid, Technology, Triage | Comments Off on The LSC – Pro Bono Net – Microsoft Statewide ATJ Portal

Another “Roles Beyond Lawyers” Evaluation Adds To the Very Encouraging Mosaic and Highlights Need For Replication Support

Posted on March 23, 2017 by richardzorza

This week, the Preliminary Evaluation of the Washington State Limited License Legal Technician (LLLT) program, performed by the National Center for State Courts and the American Bar Foundation, was released.  The basic idea of the program is to permit certain … Continue reading →

Posted in 100% Access Strategy and Campaign, Bar Associations, Court Management, De-Regulation, Law Schools, Legal Aid, Legal Ethics, Mixed Model, Non-Lawyer Practice, Public Welfare Foundation, Research and Evalation, Systematic Change, Triage | 1 Comment

CCJ/COSCA Letter to OMB on LSC Funding Highlights Bipartisan Support for Access to Justice

Posted on March 6, 2017 by richardzorza

In response to recent stories that the Administration had LSC on a target list, perhaps the most powerfully bipartisan bodies in the US legal system chimed in in support for LSC funding. The Presidents of the Conference of Chief Justices … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Budget Issues, Census Bureau, Funding, Legal Aid, LSC, Political Support, White House | Comments Off on CCJ/COSCA Letter to OMB on LSC Funding Highlights Bipartisan Support for Access to Justice

Clint Bamberger’s Death Kicks In the Gut

Posted on February 17, 2017 by richardzorza

We heard today of Clint Bamberger’s death, at age 90.  The New York Times obituary focuses mainly on his landmark Supreme Court case of Betts v. Brady, establishing the obligation on prosecutors to disclose exculpatory evidence. But for generations of … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Law Schools, Legal Aid, LSC, Obituaries and Appreciations | 1 Comment

Moving Forward With Federal ATJ Data Collection To Support the Chiefs 100% Access Resolution

Posted on January 18, 2017 by richardzorza

Its a routine thing, best seen as the normal functioning of government, which is coming more and more to recognize the nonpartisan importance of access to justice issues and measures to all government goals, including making the system work for … Continue reading →

Posted in 100% Access Strategy and Campaign, Access to Justice Generally, Census Bureau, LAIR, Legal Aid, Metrics, SRL Statistics, Systematic Change, Triage | 1 Comment

Legal Aid HackathonShows the Coming Change in Access to Justice Culture is Enormous

Posted on January 14, 2017 by richardzorza

I love it. Before the TIG conference, there was a legal aid Hackathon.  Here is the presentation that summarized it.  Astonishing. This slide is my own favorite, and self-explanatory. Other projects included a write clearly tool, a legal check-up tool, … Continue reading →

Posted in 100% Access Strategy and Campaign, Legal Aid, LSC, SRL Statistics, Technology | 2 Comments

A Challenge: How Do We Even Out The Rates of Media Outreach Capacity for Access to Justice at the National and States Level?

Posted on January 14, 2017 by richardzorza

Voices for Civil Justice, funded by the Public Welfare Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, and others, and headed by Martha Bergmark, has done amazing work in terms of getting the access to justice messave out at the national level. They have … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Boards, Access to Justice Generally, Communications Strategy, Legal Aid | 1 Comment