Category Archives: LSC

Roberts Choice of Garland to Head Executive Committee of Federal Judicial Conference is a Huge ATJ Opportunity

Posted on November 23, 2017 by richardzorza

In what many would consider a “class act,” Chief Justice Roberts recently appointed Chief Judge of the DC Circuit Judge Garland to chair the Executive Committee of the Federal Judicial Conference. As the release explains: The 26-member Judicial Conference is the … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Federal Courts, LSC | Comments Off on Roberts Choice of Garland to Head Executive Committee of Federal Judicial Conference is a Huge ATJ Opportunity

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

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

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

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

Important — Now Out, The WH-LAIR Report Is Actually Not Bittersweet Reading — It Is Hopeful For The Future But You Have to Read It Carefully

Posted on November 30, 2016 by richardzorza

To be honest and direct, even though the first White HHouse-LAIR Annual Report (Legal Aid InterAgency Rountable) is “must reading,” it might feel at first like it might be hard to read, because it’s difficult not to think in terms … Continue reading →

Posted in 100% Access Strategy and Campaign, Access to Justice Generally, Court Management, Law Schools, Legal Aid, LSC, White House | 1 Comment

A Confession and a Manifesto for Client/Litigant Driven Outcome Measures in Access to Justice

Posted on November 27, 2016 by richardzorza

As a patient, I would be outraged by the idea that medical professionals alone (link to 2001 paper) should decide the outcome measures that would be used to decide the benefit and utility of medical innovations. But, without a squeak of … Continue reading →

Posted in 100% Access Strategy and Campaign, Court Management, LSC, Medical System Comparision, Metrics, Outcome Measures, Research and Evalation, Series: Outcome Measures | 2 Comments

LSC TIG Conference, the Website Assessment and Portals

Posted on November 26, 2016 by richardzorza

LSC has announced its January 2017 TIG Conference. The draft agenda is here. While there is much of great interest, I would just like to point out that one very good reason for many, including particularly those involved in websites … Continue reading →

Posted in 100% Access Strategy and Campaign, Access to Justice Generally, LSC, Self-Help Services, Technology | Comments Off on LSC TIG Conference, the Website Assessment and Portals

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

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

Tim Kaine Calls for New Approach to Poverty — Legal Aid Implications

Posted on October 30, 2016 by richardzorza

Remember his wife is a former legal aid lawyer and a former judge.  According to the Detroit Free Press, in speech on Oct 16, Kaine: .  .  .  outlined the campaign’s three-pillar attack on poverty, including: Raising incomes for families, … Continue reading →

Posted in 100% Access Strategy and Campaign, Discrimination, Evictions, Foreclosure, Funding, Housing, Legal Aid, LSC, White House | Comments Off on Tim Kaine Calls for New Approach to Poverty — Legal Aid Implications

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

David Brooks Brilliant Column on Outsider-Insiders, and its Relevance to Our 100% Access Movement

Posted on June 25, 2016 by richardzorza

David Brooks  had a brilliant column in the New York Times on June 25, 2016.  However, it was marred by a serious error that, while irrelevant to the force of the core idea, means that it is much less likely … Continue reading →

Posted in 100% Access Strategy and Campaign, ABA, Bar Associations, Judicial Ethics, Legal Aid, Legal Ethics, LSC, Non-Lawyer Practice, SRLN, Unbundling | 1 Comment

My Video on Five Ways to Incentivize Bar, Courts, Legal Tech and Nonprofits to Get Us to Access for All

Posted on May 12, 2016 by richardzorza

Here is my second short video, made initially for the SRLN day at the Equal Justice Conference.  This one lays out five ways to use the power and threat of regulation/deregulation, and other incentives such as the tax code, to … Continue reading →

Posted in 100% Access Strategy and Campaign, ABA, Access to Justice Boards, Bar Associations, Budget Issues, De-Regulation, Funding, Incnetives, Legal Aid, LSC, Middle Income, Mixed Model, Non-Lawyer Practice, Planning, Self-Help Services, Simplification, Software Developers, SRLN, Systematic Change, Tax Policy, Technology, video | 1 Comment