Category Archives: Political Support

The Corporate Response to Trump

I have been suggesting that the “public trust and confidence” analogy between public commitment to court processes and fairness and public politics process and fairness might be useful.  The idea is that we need to find the way to talk … Continue reading

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Anti-Trust, Federal Agencies, Federal Courts, International Cooperation, Judicial Supremacy, Political Support, Supreme Court, White House | Comments Off on The Corporate Response to Trump

Justice Kennedy’s Opinion On “Baking Discrimination” Is Clarion Call for Process Neutrality In The Entire Governmental Sphere

In a brilliant piece in Politico today, Professor Richard Primus argues that the Baking for Gay Marriage Opinion, by rejecting broad First Amendment protections for discrimination, sets up the travel ban case for a similarly positive outcome, not only because … Continue reading

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Discrimination, Federal Courts, Freedom of Expression, Immigration, Political Support, Supreme Court | Comments Off on Justice Kennedy’s Opinion On “Baking Discrimination” Is Clarion Call for Process Neutrality In The Entire Governmental Sphere

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

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

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

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

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

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

How Not To Bring The Litigant Voice Into the Legal System

Richard Moorhead of University College London has a brilliant blog post here, on a recent attempt by the Solicitors Regulatory Association to impact the process of reforming (or not) the exam process for qualifying as a solicitor. (By the way, … Continue reading

Posted in International Models, Legal Ethics, Non-Lawyer Practice, Political Support | Comments Off on How Not To Bring The Litigant Voice Into the Legal System

Article on Incentives in Access to Justice

My paper on incentives in access to justice has now been published in the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics.  Here it is. Here is the full text of the abstract: Most of the current deregulation discussion focuses on permitting both … Continue reading

Posted in ABA, Access to Counsel, Alternative Business Structures, Anti-Trust, Bar Associations, Medical System Comparision, Middle Income, Mixed Model, Non-Lawyer Practice, Outcome Measures, Planning, Political Support, Poverty, Pro Bono, Referral Systems, Research and Evalation, Rules Reform, Self-Help Services, Simplification, Systematic Change, Tax Policy, Technology | Comments Off on Article on Incentives in Access to Justice

Launching My Politics and Humor Blog – “zorzapolitics”

For a long time, I have been wanting to launch a politics and humor blog. I have held back, largely because I did not want to to dilute in any way the non-partisanship inherent in this access to justice blog’s … Continue reading

Posted in Humor, Political Support | 1 Comment

A Reassuring Thought During Hard Times For Those Who Believe in Facts, Fairness, Reason and Rules

I think it is fair to say that those of us who are working for access to justice believe in “facts, fairness, reason, and rules” for resolving disputes at both the individual and societal level.  The access to justice movement … Continue reading

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Political Support | 4 Comments

Five Transformative Bar Reform Ideas To Get to 100% to Justice — Paper Abstract

A few months ago, the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics invited me to submit a paper on the relationship between access to justice, commercialization of the legal practice, and judicial ethics.  The paper will be published in the summer of … Continue reading

Posted in Attorney-Client, Bar Associations, Funding, Legal Aid, LSC, Middle Income, Mixed Model, Non-Lawyer Practice, Outcome Measures, Political Support, Systematic Change, Tax Policy, Technology, Triage, Unbundling | 2 Comments

Jim Greiner’s Comment on the Inherent Conflict Respresented by Funding Public Defenders by Fees Charged Defendant’s and My Response

Jim Greiner has submitted a brilliant and challenging comment on my recent post about the funding of 41% of the New Orleans Public Defender from court fines, fees and assessments.  It is worth very serious consideration.  Here is the full … Continue reading

Posted in Attorney-Client, Bail, Budget Issues, Chasm with Communities, Commentators, Court Management, Criminal Law, Defender Programs, Political Support, Poverty, Public Defender | 4 Comments

New CCJ/COSCA Resolution on 100% Access, and How to Get There, Is a Tipping Point

The week before last, the Conference of (state) Chief Justices, and the Conference of State Court Administrators jointly passed two Resolutions that together predict a tipping pint forward in moving to justice.  One sets an aspirational goal of 100% access … Continue reading

Posted in 100% Access Strategy and Campaign, Access to Counsel, Access to Justice Boards, Access to Justice Generally, Bar Associations, Communications Strategy, Court Management, Forms, Legal Aid, Mobile Technology, Outcome Measures, Political Support, Research and Evalation, Rules Reform, Self-Help Services, Simplification, Systematic Change, Technology, Triage, Unbundling | 3 Comments

High Lifetime Chance of Being Poor Suggests a New Legal Aid/ATJ Funding Argument

For decades we have been struggling with the fact that we think that many, perhaps most, people are resultant to fund legal aid, and particularly means-tested community-based legal aid because they think that it will never help them. (Incidentally, every … Continue reading

Posted in Budget Issues, Communications Strategy, Legal Aid, Political Support, Poverty | 7 Comments

Perhaps the Most Important Thing of All About The Marriage Decision Is That It Was a Movement Victory

As the plates of law and society shift under our feet, there are a thousand things to celebrate (even if some occur in the context of deep mourning). I think that for me however, after decades in which there were … Continue reading

Posted in Political Support | 2 Comments

NYT Publishes First Article on Comprehensive Changes in Legal Aid (Broadly Defined)

Showing the huge value and potential of a coherent communications strategy for the legal aid world (broadly defined to include both community-based and court-based legal aid) the New York Times on Saturday published its first real comprehensive article on the … Continue reading

Posted in Access to Counsel, Communications Strategy, Legal Aid, LSC, Non-Lawyer Practice, Political Support, Self-Help Services, Systematic Change, Triage | Comments Off on NYT Publishes First Article on Comprehensive Changes in Legal Aid (Broadly Defined)