Category Archives: Self-Help Services

More on the “Until Gideon” Symposium at Fordham

Posted on November 8, 2013 by richardzorza

At the Symposium, Earl Johnston presented on the concept of Civil Gideon, and I was one of the two responders.  As part of this presentation (and by e-mail before the meeting) he had presented some questions that he suggested would … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Counsel, Judicial Ethics, Self-Help Services, Simplification, Triage | Tagged | 2 Comments

Implications of the “No Lawyer Plus No Interpreter Equals No Access” Truism

Posted on September 13, 2013 by richardzorza

With the release of the NCSC Call for Action on Limited English Proficiency, I have been thinking about the very complex relationship between the access to justice challenges suffered by those without a lawyer, and those without effective English proficiency. … Continue reading →

Posted in LEP, Self-Help Services | Comments Off on Implications of the “No Lawyer Plus No Interpreter Equals No Access” Truism

Training 211 Operators on Legal Access Resources Has Major Impact in Minnesota Collaboration

Posted on September 7, 2013 by richardzorza

One of the great — and too little explored — potentials of having integrated access services is the potential of much better linkages with broader help gateways.  A recent report on such an approach in the Minnesota Twin Cities area … Continue reading →

Posted in Funding, Referral Systems, Self-Help Services, Technology | 1 Comment

Roger Smith Analysis of Best Access Websites

Posted on August 26, 2013 by richardzorza

Roger Smith, a UK academic, presented at the recent ILAG on his review of websites as a potential alternative to human advice.  Here are his fascinating conclusions as to what is most important: Design is important.Too many websites are little … Continue reading →

Posted in Self-Help Services, Technology | 1 Comment

President’s Coming Out for Two Year Law School Underlines Need for New Access Head at DOJ

Posted on August 25, 2013 by richardzorza

It is great to see the President coming out in favor of cutting law school to two years. On Friday, he questioned the utility of a third year of classes and suggested that students use their final two semesters to … Continue reading →

Posted in Law Schools, Self-Help Services, Systematic Change | Comments Off on President’s Coming Out for Two Year Law School Underlines Need for New Access Head at DOJ

Tools for SRL Courtroom Observation Project

Posted on August 4, 2013 by richardzorza

I am delighted to be able to post the excellent instruments used in the Brooklyn Family Court SRL observational study, which is part of the Justice Index Project of the National Center for Access to Justice. As you may know, … Continue reading →

Posted in Research and Evalation, Self-Help Services | 1 Comment

Follow-Up Guest Blog on Bronx Family Court Self-Help Center

Posted on August 1, 2013 by richardzorza

Bronx Family Court Help Center By Bronx County Family Court Clerk of Court Mike Williams As Richard blogged yesterday, the Bronx County Family opened its new Help Center Complex this week.  Our initial goal was to relocate an extremely busy … Continue reading →

Posted in Court Management, Self-Help Services | Comments Off on Follow-Up Guest Blog on Bronx Family Court Self-Help Center

Bronx Family Court Self-Help Center Pushes the Envelope

Posted on July 31, 2013 by richardzorza

The Bronx County Family Court Help Center has been re-opened with a state-of-the-art integration of services. The Help Center is conveniently located on the first floor of the courthouse, so unrepresented litigants can’t miss it and need not wait for … Continue reading →

Posted in Self-Help Services | 4 Comments

September Court Technology Conference to Feauture Self-Represented Track

Posted on July 30, 2013 by richardzorza

The 2013 Court Technology Conference, to be held in Baltimore September 17-19, will feature a full track on the use of technology to assist in court access for the self-represented. Session titles and descriptions are: What do Litigants Expect? Two … Continue reading →

Posted in Court Management, Meetings, Self-Help Services, Technology | 2 Comments

California Courts Reaffirm Committement to Self-Help

Posted on May 27, 2013 by richardzorza

After a period of general uncertainty in the California courts, driven by budget pressures, it is great to see that the Judicial Council has reaffirmed the importance of self-help, as viewed throughout the system.  On May 17, the Council issued … Continue reading →

Posted in Funding, Self-Help Services | Tagged | Comments Off on California Courts Reaffirm Committement to Self-Help

Canadian SRL Project Sponsors Dialog Event — A Model for Us all

Posted on May 22, 2013 by richardzorza

What a great idea. As Julie MacFarlane blogs about the follow up to her Canadian SRL Report: 60 people gathered in Windsor to discuss the research report – 15 of them SRL’s from the study. The other 45 guests included … Continue reading →

Posted in International Models, Research and Evalation, Self-Help Services | Tagged | 1 Comment

Important New Canadian Report Highlights Challenges Facing the Self-Represented and Innovation and Research Lessons for the US

Posted on May 21, 2013 by richardzorza

An important new report, The National Self-Represented Litigants Project: Identifying and Meeting the Needs of Self-Represented Litigants, by Dr. Julie MacFarlane, supported by grants from the Law Foundation of Ontario, the Law Foundation of Alberta, and the Law Foundation of … Continue reading →

Posted in International Models, Research and Evalation, Self-Help Services | Tagged | 6 Comments

Alaska Early Resolution Project Using Pro Bono

Posted on March 9, 2013 by richardzorza

Alaska has a great Early Resolution Project in which pro bono attorneys focus on cases which are settlement ready, as screened by the self-help center.  As the linked document explains: Early intervention is an effective component of settlement in family law … Continue reading →

Posted in Pro Bono, Self-Help Services | 1 Comment

JOLT Publishes Additinal LSC Tech Summit Papers Online

Posted on March 6, 2013 by richardzorza

More papers from the LSC Summit on Technology and Access to Justice have now been posted online by Harvard’s Journal of Law and Technology, adding to those already published in the journal itself. The papers are: Summit on the Use … Continue reading →

Posted in LSC, Self-Help Services, Systematic Change, Technology, Unbundling | 1 Comment

Texas Chief Justice State of the Judiciary Message

Posted on March 6, 2013 by richardzorza

Wallace Jefferson, the inspiring Chief Justice of Texas, has just issued his State of the Judiciary Message. I have bolded the language that might be most useful to quote, but the whole quote, and indeed the whole Message is worthy … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Generally, E-filing, Self-Help Services | Comments Off on Texas Chief Justice State of the Judiciary Message