Access to Justice

DC Bar considers relaxing its already-lenient rules to allow nonlawyer ownership of law firms

The District of Columbia Bar is considering changes to its ethics rules that could allow external ownership of law firms, as well as businesses in which lawyers and nonlawyers provide both legal and nonlegal services.

Jan 27, 2020 10:40 AM CST

CEO discusses the disrupting, displacing and deconstructing of legal services

Ari Kaplan recently spoke with Varun Mehta, the new CEO of Factor, formerly Axiom Managed Solutions, an organization focused on performing complex legal work at scale.

Jan 24, 2020 8:30 AM CST

The court of public opinion: Why litigation PR is a critical component of a case

A lawyer’s duties do not begin and end at the courtroom door. They extend beyond to the proverbial court of public opinion. As a lawyer and PR consultant, James F. Haggerty has shared how to properly handle the media aspects of litigation in his new book.

Jan 22, 2020 6:00 AM CST

Company that promised to revolutionize legal services confirms layoffs of most of its legal staff

Atrium, a company that launched in 2017 with the promise of transforming the delivery of legal services, has laid off most of its legal staff in a restructuring.

Jan 14, 2020 10:24 AM CST

‘Fundamental shift’ is transforming the delivery of legal services, new report concludes

“Revolutionary changes are afoot” in the market for legal services, according to a new report. Clients are actively managing their relationships with outside counsel, nonlaw competitors are gaining ground, and law firms are responding to market changes in innovative ways, the report says. The 2020 Report on the State of…

Jan 6, 2020 2:10 PM CST

Online courts, the future of justice and being bold in 2020

Ari Kaplan recently spoke with Richard Susskind, who has worked on technology for lawyers since 1981. He is the author of a newly released book, Online Courts and the Future of Justice.

Jan 2, 2020 9:49 AM CST

Attorneys question presence of tech industry insiders on California bar task force for reforming legal industry

A California state bar task force crafting proposals to overhaul regulation of the state’s legal marketplace has drawn criticism from attorneys who believe some of its members evaluating whether to open up the legal industry to nonlawyer ownership and greater technology-driven legal services have conflicts of interest.

Dec 5, 2019 1:52 PM CST

The Bail Project pays defendants’ bail as part of a plan to end money bail entirely

Modeled after a fund started by public defenders more than a decade ago, the Bail Project not only pays defendants’ bail but connects them to social services and makes sure they show up to court.

Nov 1, 2019 2:40 AM CDT

Holocaust survivor has dedicated his career to serving others

John Rosenberg likes to tell people we’re in a country where the rule of law means something, where no one is above the law. “Lawyers make a difference,” he says. “We have demonstrated in our work that we can have a great impact and make our society a better one.”

Nov 1, 2019 1:30 AM CDT

Commission on Immigration urges widespread reform

“A person comes to our borders, legitimately seeking asylum from, say, political or religious persecution,” said Massachusetts Bar Association delegate Kevin Curtin, a prosecutor for Middlesex County, Massachusetts. “We then lock her up. We might separate her from her children. And then, we prevent her from having access to counsel. … We wouldn’t do that to what my grandmother would call common criminals.”

Nov 1, 2019 1:10 AM CDT

ABA asks courthouses to reconsider cellphone bans

Dina Afek often tells clients they’re not allowed to bring their cellphones into courthouses in New Mexico. “As attorneys, we can bring in phones, so it’s creating a weird class issue,” says Afek, the volunteer attorney program director for New Mexico Legal Aid. “It is disproportionately affecting poor people and self-represented litigants.”

Nov 1, 2019 1:00 AM CDT

Small claims program for copyright violations? ABA-supported legislation passes US House

The House of Representatives approved earlier this week a measure that would establish a copyright small claims program in the U.S. Copyright Office to address some of the violations of copyright and intellectual property.

Oct 24, 2019 12:25 PM CDT

Pro bono inspired a survivor of domestic violence to go to law school

As a 3L, Alyssa Leader says she runs a constant mental countdown of weeks to finals, weeks to graduation, weeks to the bar exam, weeks to test results, weeks until she can say she is someone she never would have been if not for David, a lawyer.

Oct 24, 2019 6:00 AM CDT

Seattle lawyer focuses on systemic changes to end youth homelessness

“To me, this represented one of the toughest problems, but absolutely something that was worthwhile to invest a career in, because if we do this right, we are going to open the door for so many other things,” says Casey Trupin, the director of youth homelessness at the Raikes Foundation, a Seattle-based nonprofit organization.

Sep 26, 2019 11:27 AM CDT

Balance of power: Money and inequity in the judicial system

Anyone who has a passing familiarity with the U.S. criminal justice system isn’t shocked to hear the wealthy often escape punishment or receive lighter sentences, while the poor—often minorities—are disproportionately incarcerated and more harshly sentenced.

Sep 1, 2019 2:50 AM CDT