Blog

Colorado Equal Access Center Aims to Narrow the Justice Gap

Oct 27, 2016
Natalie Anne Knowlton
Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Nancy Rice is implementing a new resource for self-represented litigants—the Colorado Equal Access Center. The Center supplements the Colorado Judicial Department’s ongoing efforts to respond to a substantial justice gap in Colorado courts (and in states around the country):...

Low-Income Clients Have New Online Pro Bono Resource

Oct 6, 2016
Natalie Anne Knowlton
The American Bar Association recently launched a free, new resource for income-eligible users with civil law-related questions. The virtual legal advice clinic— ABAFreeLegalAnswers.org —is an online version of the walk-in advice clinic model and connects clients with brief but case-specific advice from a pro bono...

ABA Offers Recommendations for the Future of Legal Services

Sep 28, 2016
Mark Staines
The American Bar Association’s Commission on the Future of Legal Services recently released a report that identifies problems with the delivery of legal services along with suggested remedies. According to the report, despite persistent efforts to increase the public’s access to legal services, many people still have...

Story Maps Used to Customize Consumer-Oriented Legal Service Solutions

Sep 27, 2016
Natalie Anne Knowlton
The Self-Represented Litigation Network (SRLN) recently released America’s Civil Courts: Whom Do We Serve? ­­ —a geospatial story map designed to help the tens of millions of Americans attempting to navigate the civil legal system without a lawyer. According to Richard Zorza , SRLN Coordinator Emeritus, this online...

Iowa Task Force Unveils New Priorities to Reform Family Law

Aug 29, 2016
Natalie Anne Knowlton
The Iowa Supreme Court Family Law Case Processing Reform Task Force recently submitted its final report to the Iowa Supreme Court, concluding a year-long study of the family law court system in Iowa. The Task Force report includes a comprehensive list of recommendations for the Iowa Supreme Court’s consideration, some...

Ethics Opinions Help Increase Unbundled Legal Services and Access to Justice

Aug 19, 2016
Mark Staines
As the number of self-represented litigants (or pro se litigants) continue to rise, the legal profession continues to explore alternative means of providing services beyond the traditional lawyer-client relationship. Because many litigants choose to forgo representation due to the cost of hiring an attorney, unbundled...

In Ireland, a Proposal to Decrease the Waiting Period for Divorce

Aug 2, 2016
Mark Staines
“It is no secret that high-conflict litigation, particularly over a protracted period of time, only serves to increase hostility between a couple,” said Josepha Madigan, a member of the Irish Parliament who is advocating for a decrease in the time it takes to get divorced in the country. Current law requires married...

Revolutionizing Access to Justice for Litigants Without Lawyers

Jul 27, 2016
Guest Post
Jennifer C. Alldredge
As a pro se (or self-represented) litigant, imagine being faced with an overwhelming system of protocol, etiquette, deadlines, rules, and legalese. You are expected to navigate this foreign world to keep everything you care about from breaking as it spins to the ground. This system is one that takes attorneys years to...

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