Access to Justice

Legal technicians belong in courtrooms

One of the constant criticisms of the Washington limited license legal technician is that there only around 30 licensed technicians so far—even though the program is still in its infancy. A second challenge is that, currently, the LLLT cannot represent a client in court.

Apr 13, 2018 7:00 AM CDT

Focus of ABA Day 2018 will be on LSC funding and preserving student loan forgiveness program

Securing the financial ability of lawyers to meet the legal needs of the public will be the focus of ABA Day in Washington, D.C., as the association advocates for increased funding for the Legal Services Corp. and the preservation of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

Apr 11, 2018 6:30 AM CDT

Justice Department rescinds guidance on excessive court fines and fees

Civil rights advocates see continued rollback of reforms in the common practice of fining poor defendants in misdemeanor and civil infraction cases in order to boost revenue.

Apr 1, 2018 2:50 AM CDT

How lawyers are integrating paraprofessionals into practice

In the months since my first article on Washington limited license legal technicians, I expanded my research to other states’ progress on paraprofessional programs. However, after the last article, there was significant pushback from readers around the business case for paraprofessionals within firms, and I think a deeper dive is warranted, using Arizona’s certified legal document preparers as a model.

Mar 9, 2018 8:00 AM CST

Florida nonprofit legal clinic hires Puerto Rican attorneys displaced by Hurricane Maria

The Puerto Rican Bar Association of Florida has opened a nonprofit legal clinic focused on providing legal services to Puerto Ricans who have settled in Florida after fleeing Hurricane Maria—and the clinic is employing displaced Puerto Rican attorneys.

Mar 8, 2018 9:51 AM CST

Fordham A2J initiative gets students inside infamous Rikers Island

Corrected: Deema Nagib, a third-year student at Fordham University School of Law, has traveled dozens of times to the notorious Rikers Island jail complex to meet with detainees who shared horror stories with her about life inside.

Mar 5, 2018 7:00 AM CST

My path to law: one immigrant’s journey

I watched a lot of Law & Order growing up. My family immigrated to the U.S. in 1988 (the same year that Korea last hosted the Olympics). I was 10 years old and didn’t speak a word of English. Neither did anyone else in my family. As I watched, I…

Feb 20, 2018 7:30 AM CST

Mary Juetten hopes legal software can help improve access-to-justice problems (podcast)

What will be a big legal trend for 2018? Mary E. Juetten is putting her hopes on legal technology improving access-to-justice problems.

Feb 14, 2018 8:25 AM CST

Provide legal counsel at public expense for when physical liberty is at stake, ABA House urges

Legislatures should pass laws ensuring that low-income people are provided with legal counsel at public expense for any proceeding—criminal or civil and regardless of whether it was initiated by a governmental entity—which could result in the loss of their physical liberty, according to a resolution passed by the ABA House…

Feb 5, 2018 8:33 PM CST

Project by LSAC, law schools association aims to boost understanding—and appeal—of law profession

The Law School Admission Council and the Association of American Law Schools are coming together on a project to improve how the public sees the prospects of a legal education and the legal profession. Consisting of “multiple web-based and social media initiatives” the two groups say in a press release,…

Feb 2, 2018 1:00 PM CST

Advocates promote a right to counsel in civil cases, too

In an effort to narrow the justice gap for low-income, unrepresented litigants in certain types of civil cases, California superior courts have begun to collaborate with pro bono programs.

Feb 1, 2018 2:55 AM CST

When UPL accusations against lawyer paraprofessionals are just protectionism

Last year, the legal profession continued to protect the delivery of legal services with multiple state bar ethics decisions negatively impacting legal service providers Avvo, LegalZoom, and Rocket Lawyer. As I outlined last time, 80 percent—or 4 in 5 Americans—cannot obtain legal help. In most industries, this would be seen as a massive market opportunity for existing providers.

Jan 12, 2018 8:30 AM CST

The limited license legal technician is the way of the future of law

The first time I heard about the Washington State Bar Association’s Limited License Legal Technician program was when I hosted an Evolve Law event in Seattle in November 2015. I had just moved to the state and I was immediately intrigued by what I heard about the program.

Dec 8, 2017 8:30 AM CST

Two nonprofit companies that are bridging the access-to-justice gap with tech

As my first two posts outlined, I believe that technology is necessary to bridge both the education gap and the access-to-justice chasm. Many have reached out on these important topics, and I had the pleasure of interviewing two New York-based leaders who are using technology to improve access to justice.

Nov 10, 2017 8:00 AM CST

What is the technology needed for access to justice?

Innovation in the legal field continues to grow at a rapid rate. According to LawSites blog there are nearly 700 legal technology vendors while Stanford’s CodeX Techindex displays 732 companies.

Oct 13, 2017 8:30 AM CDT