Category Archives: Research and Evalation

The Begining of A Discussion of ADR and 100% Access to Justice

Posted on November 20, 2015 by richardzorza

One of the many impacts of the Chief’s 100% resolution is that it is starting to stimulate discussion in many communities that are or should be part of the broad 100% solution. So it is great to hear that Resolution … Continue reading →

Posted in Mediation, Mixed Model, Outcome Measures, Research and Evalation, Triage | 2 Comments

Could We Get to 100% Access Without As Many New Resources As We Now Assume, a Very Rough Analysis?

Posted on November 13, 2015 by richardzorza

It’s a truism and an article of faith in the access to justice community that the only way to get to 100% access to justice is a massive infusion of money. It might well be true, but try this mental … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Counsel, Access to Justice Generally, Budget Issues, Court Management, Legal Aid, Research and Evalation, Rules Reform, Self-Help Services, Simplification, Systematic Change | 5 Comments

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

Reflections on Two Comments on 100% Access to Justice Definition

Posted on September 6, 2015 by richardzorza

The proposed definition of 100% access to justice has received near record comments — and hopefully there will be more.  I want to comment on two here, although all are worth consideration and debate. Jim Greiner points out that the … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Boards, Access to Justice Generally, Administative Proecdure, Bar Associations, Budget Issues, Commentators, Consumer Rights, Court Management, Guest Bloggers, Research and Evalation, Simplification, Systematic Change, Triage | Comments Off on Reflections on Two Comments on 100% Access to Justice Definition

Towards a Definition of “One Hundred Percent Access to Civil Justice”

Posted on September 3, 2015 by richardzorza

With the setting by the Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ), and the Conference of State Court Administrators  (COSCA) by Resolution of 100% access to justice as an “aspirational goal,” the question of just what that term means becomes more and … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Boards, Administative Proecdure, Bar Associations, Court Management, Judicial Ethics, Legal Aid, Planning, Research and Evalation, Systematic Change, Triage | 8 Comments

Celebrating 50 Incubators, and Raising A Research and Evaluation Challenge

Posted on August 27, 2015 by richardzorza

There are now 50 law school incubators, as listed by the ABA.  Individual programs are listed and profiled here.  This news makes the movement a highly significant one, and the time has some to talk intellectual infrastructure.  In particular, it … Continue reading →

Posted in Incubators, Law Schools, Research and Evalation, Unbundling | Comments Off on Celebrating 50 Incubators, and Raising A Research and Evaluation Challenge

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

Posted on August 11, 2015 by richardzorza

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

A Challenge on Civil Advocacy Legal Aid Outcome Meaures

Posted on August 6, 2015 by richardzorza

While there is now general agreement that outcome measures for civil advocacy legal aid are a good idea, and that measures need to be different in different areas of substantive advocacy, it is apparently hard to get agreement on common … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal Aid, Medical System Comparision, Metrics, Outcome Measures, Research and Evalation | 1 Comment

Research Suggests “In Court, Your Face Could Determine Your Fate”

Posted on July 19, 2015 by richardzorza

NPR picks up on recent research about the relationship between facial appearance and sentencing. (Full study here.) Individuals who are deemed to have untrustworthy faces are significantly more likely to be on death row compared with other people convicted of … Continue reading →

Posted in Criminal Law, Public Defender, Research and Evalation | 5 Comments

World Bank Working Toward Legal Aid Outcome Measures Including Impact on Poverty

Posted on July 6, 2015 by richardzorza

This is news that might have a major long term impact.  As this blog by World Bank Senior Public Sector Specialist Paul Prettitore reports: JCLA [Jordanian CSO Justice Center for Legal Aid] and the World Bank are now designing a … Continue reading →

Posted in International Models, Outcome Measures, Poverty, Research and Evalation | 2 Comments

Mixed Thoughts on Arguments Against Comparability of Data and Goal Setting

Posted on July 2, 2015 by richardzorza

A few days ago, I blogged about recent massive reductions in heart attack deaths, and the contribution that the establishment of required reporting of comparable data, and the setting of clear goals, contributed to those improvements. While doing so, I … Continue reading →

Posted in LSC, Research and Evalation | 7 Comments

Noting the Range and Significance of NSF Research Grants into Access to Justice

Posted on June 13, 2015 by richardzorza

Regular readers of this blog will not have been able to avoid the drumbeat of attention to the importance and potential of DOJ’s bringing NSF to the access to justice table.  But, I have not as yet explicitly listed or … Continue reading →

Posted in Dept. of Justice, Judicial Ethics, Plain Language, Research and Evalation, Self-Help Services, Triage, Usabilty | Comments Off on Noting the Range and Significance of NSF Research Grants into Access to Justice

The DOJ Access to Justice Research Workshop Is An Important Achievement And A Milestone

Posted on June 4, 2015 by richardzorza

The recent Research Workshop was sponsored by NIJ (National Institute of Justice) and ATJ (Access to Justice Initiative) within the Department of Justice, and by the National Science Foundation (NSF).  Attorney General Loretta Lynch both spoke and blogged about it … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, Dept. of Justice, Research and Evalation | 1 Comment

While Study On Greater Happiness of Nonprofit Lawyers Raises Methodological Questions, It Still Has Useful Lessons

Posted on May 13, 2015 by richardzorza

Its hard for some of us not to feel smug and self-satisfied when we see the following blog headline in the New York Times: Lawyers With Lowest Pay Report More Happiness. And its hard not to come to the conclusion … Continue reading →

Posted in Law Schools, Legal Aid, Research and Evalation, Vocation | Comments Off on While Study On Greater Happiness of Nonprofit Lawyers Raises Methodological Questions, It Still Has Useful Lessons

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