Category Archives: LEP

Important Research on Benefits of Plain Language Court Orders And Translation

Posted on November 4, 2016 by richardzorza

This research, funded under the LSC TIG program through a grant to TRLA, conducted in Austin, Texas, by NPC Research on the impact of plain language and translated court documents could be very helpful indeed. (Disclosure: I have been involved … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Forms, LEP, LSC, Outcome Measures, Plain Language, Self-Help Services, Technology | 2 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

New York Making Big Progress on Multi-Lingual Court Orders

Posted on October 13, 2015 by richardzorza

Many of us have long believed that creating multi-lingual court orders could have a big impact on compliance and court efficiency. The New York courts have recently started taking big steps in that direction.  As the press release says: In … Continue reading →

Posted in Court Management, Document Assembly, Domestic Violence, LEP, Technology | 2 Comments

We Need a National Campaign for Access to Justice — Why the CCJ/COSCA Resolution Makes it So Much Easier and What Might It Start to Look Like?

Posted on September 18, 2015 by richardzorza

There are lots of reasons why we really do not have in place anything like a national campaign for 100% access     (Although we have certainly become much better at talking about the need).  One of the reasons for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Boards, Access to Justice Generally, Bar Associations, Budget Issues, Communications Strategy, Legal Aid, LEP, LSC, Self-Help Services, Simplification, Triage, Unbundling | 1 Comment

Ohio Supreme Court Task Force Recommends “Access to Justice Impact Statement” Requirement

Posted on April 30, 2015 by richardzorza

The Ohio Supreme Court Task Force on Access to Justice has included among other great proposals, a new and exciting idea in its Recommendations, which would be to require an “Access to Justice Impact Statement” before any changes in the … Continue reading →

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Posted in Access to Justice Boards, Court Management, LEP | Comments Off on Ohio Supreme Court Task Force Recommends “Access to Justice Impact Statement” Requirement

Guest Post From Sherna Deamer on Making Justice Truly Blind — Where it Should Be

Posted on March 30, 2015 by richardzorza

This blog loves to share provocative “out of the box” ideas that can get conversation going.  Here is one on how to remove some of the unconscious cultural and ethnic bias in our legal system.  It comes from Sherna Deamer, … Continue reading →

Posted in Court Management, Judicial Ethics, LEP, Research and Evalation | 2 Comments

What Might a National Expungement Strategy Look Like?

Posted on December 4, 2014 by richardzorza

There is now pretty wide bi-partisan and multi-regional agreement that we have to make the re-entry of the convicted into society much easier, and that expunging prior criminal records will be an important part of this initiative. While lots of … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Boards, Criminal Law, Defender Programs, Dept. of Justice, expungement, Legal Aid, LEP | Comments Off on What Might a National Expungement Strategy Look Like?

Some Observations on the Newly Updated Justice Index

Posted on November 27, 2014 by richardzorza

The National Center for Access to Justice recently put in place a number of corrections offered by 21 states to the Justice Index, so its time to take a look and see what we learn. The most important point is … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Counsel, Access to Justice Generally, Forms, Justice Index, Legal Aid, LEP, Plain Language, Self-Help Services | Comments Off on Some Observations on the Newly Updated Justice Index

Michigan Judge Inadvertantly Underlines Need for Changes in Language Access

Posted on November 21, 2014 by richardzorza

In a week during which we have been given another opportunity to reflect upon the benefits of integrating people from all backgrounds into our richly varied country, we are — albeit unintentionally — reminded by a Michigan Judge of how … Continue reading →

Posted in Judicial Ethics, LEP | Comments Off on Michigan Judge Inadvertantly Underlines Need for Changes in Language Access

NY Comission on Judicial Conduct Criticizes Judge For Failing to Recognize Need for Interpreter

Posted on October 22, 2014 by richardzorza

It has been my experiencce that judges are far more anxious about the risk of adverse action from a judicial conduct than of an appellate reversal, no matter how harshly worded. So it may be particularly significant that the New … Continue reading →

Posted in Judicial Ethics, LEP | 1 Comment

How Could Interpreter Costs Be Understood So That They are Not In Conflict With ATJ Goals

Posted on June 21, 2014 by richardzorza

A recent excellent New York Times article by Fernanda Santos about how the push to provide interpreters is putting strain on court budgets, and forcing delay or reduction of other expenditures, highlights the long term costs of state inattention to … Continue reading →

Posted in Court Management, Funding, LEP, SRL Statistics | Comments Off on How Could Interpreter Costs Be Understood So That They are Not In Conflict With ATJ Goals

California Chief Focuses on Self-Help Centers in State of Judiciary Speech

Posted on March 21, 2014 by richardzorza

We all know that under former CJ Ron George, California was a pioneer in access to justice and self-help services.  So it is wonderful to see that his successor, Chief Justice Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye shares that commitment and understands  the breadth … Continue reading →

Posted in LEP, Planning, Self-Help Services, State of Judiciary Speeches | Comments Off on California Chief Focuses on Self-Help Centers in State of Judiciary Speech

DOJ Day Highlights Integration of ATJ and LEP Approaches

Posted on March 4, 2014 by richardzorza

On Friday at the Department of Justice, the Civil Rights Division launched its Language Access Planning and Technical Assistance Tool.  While the tool itself, introduced with great skill by Deeana Jang, Chief, Federal Coordination and Compliance Section,Civil Rights Division, is … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Court Management, Dept. of Justice, Judicial Ethics, LEP, Meetings | 1 Comment

A Big Day — The Justice Index is Launched

Posted on February 26, 2014 by richardzorza

The Justice Index, the pioneering state by state index of access to justice measures, developed by a partnership led by the National Center for Access to Justice at Cardozo Law School, is up, and its very well worth the wait. … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Legal Aid, LEP, Research and Evalation, Self-Help Services | 4 Comments

Claudia Johnson on NLADA

Posted on December 3, 2013 by richardzorza

I (Claudia) went to my 13th or 14th NLADA this year, excited to go to Los Angeles. Yelp—showed many local places of interest-and top of my list was visiting the LA public library after workshop hours (of course!)—they are open … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal Aid, LEP, Meetings, Technology | 3 Comments