Category Archives: Triage

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

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

Reasons for Thirty Eight Percent Reduction in US Heart Attack Deaths in Ten Years Have Obvious and Detailed Implications for Access to Justice Reform

Posted on June 21, 2015 by richardzorza

It’s an amazing statistic: in just ten years, the US heart attack rate has been reduced by 38%, as reported in a wonderful and hightly suggestive article in the June 21, NYT, here. Perhaps most hopefully, in this week of … Continue reading →

Posted in Court Management, Forms, Legal Aid, Medical System Comparision, Mixed Model, Triage | 2 Comments

Every Community Should Have a Civil Justice Coordinator and Coordinating Council

Posted on June 13, 2015 by richardzorza

The New York City Council recently passed a bill to create an Office of Civil Justice Coordinator. The bill, which was co-sponsored by Councilman Mark Levine, would create an office within the Human Resources Administration and have a budget of … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Justice Boards, Access to Justice Generally, Bar Associations, Budget Issues, Legal Aid, Triage | Comments Off on Every Community Should Have a Civil Justice Coordinator and Coordinating Council

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

President’s Budget Proposes Civil Legal Research and Civil Legal Aid Competitive Grant Program

Posted on February 4, 2015 by richardzorza

Two important development for the future in the federal budget process.  While these proposals are unlikely to be sucessful tis year, they help create the environment thefuture, and can also be cited for the position of the Executive as to … Continue reading →

Posted in Defender Programs, Dept. of Justice, Funding, Triage, White House | 1 Comment

A Fascinating Opinion by Judge Jack Weinstein (EDNY) Raises New Questions and Opportunities About the Relationship between Civil Gideon and Judicial Engagement

Posted on January 31, 2015 by richardzorza

Senior Judge Jack Weinstein of the Eastern District of NY recently recused himself sua sponte after engaging in a colloquy with a self-represented litigant about evidnce relating to the possibility that his claim in an employment discrimination complaint was time-bared. … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Counsel, Access to Justice Generally, Judicial Ethics, Triage | Comments Off on A Fascinating Opinion by Judge Jack Weinstein (EDNY) Raises New Questions and Opportunities About the Relationship between Civil Gideon and Judicial Engagement

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

Posted on November 24, 2014 by richardzorza

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)

Part IV of “Assessing Innovations,” The Private Sector Legal Market

Posted on November 10, 2014 by richardzorza

Previous posts in this series have offered cost-benefit, rights-oriented  and “targeted representation” approaches to analyzing whether innovations should be viewed as appropriate.  This post asks the same question about innovations in the private sector market, although with more of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Non-Lawyer Practice, Systematic Change, Triage | 1 Comment

Part III of “Assessing Innovations”: Guest Post by Russell Engler on the Targeted Representation Approach

Posted on November 5, 2014 by richardzorza

I am happy to guest post Russell Engler’s helpful and insightful response to Part II of my series on assessing innovations.  Part II focused on a rights-oriented analysis.  Russell writes about what he calls the “targeted representation” approach as follows: … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Counsel, Systematic Change, Triage | 1 Comment

Part II of “Assessing Innovations” — A Rights Oriented Analysis

Posted on October 31, 2014 by richardzorza

A recent post discussed how to analyze the value of different approaches to access to justice in cost benefit terms.  This follow-up post takes a different approach, looking at the same issue — of how to decided whether to implement … Continue reading →

Posted in Access to Counsel, Budget Issues, Legal Aid, Non-Lawyer Practice, Systematic Change, Technology, Triage, Unbundling | 1 Comment

Wonderful Graphic Triage Model

Posted on August 6, 2014 by richardzorza

The wonderful OpenLawLab blog recently shared a triage chart designed by the NC Immigrant Rights Project to help intake workers work with clients to decide if the client is eligible for the Deferred Action (DREAM) program.  It is here, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Immigration, Triage | Comments Off on Wonderful Graphic Triage Model

SRLN/NCSC Triage Protocols Report Published

Posted on November 27, 2013 by richardzorza

As noted in the SJI E-News, the SRLN/NCSC Triage Protocols Report is now available. It was co-authored by Tom Clarke (NCSC) and Katherine Alteneder and myself (SRLN). The proposition in this paper is that it is possible to collect information … Continue reading →

Posted in Triage | 1 Comment

Two Annoucements — TIG and a Forms Webinar

Posted on November 18, 2013 by richardzorza

Here is information for the two events taken from their announcements: Forms Webinar: The Self-Represented Litigation Network is presenting a webinar on forms on Dec 5. Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www4.gotomeeting.com/register/426879791 This webinar features a look at forms … Continue reading →

Posted in Forms, LSC, Meetings, Mobile Technology, Technology, Triage | Comments Off on Two Annoucements — TIG and a Forms Webinar