Looking Forward: "An Agenda for the Future"
Yesterday, I promised you more about the final panel discussion of the Court Leadership and Self-Represented Litigation track at the Court Solutions Conference: "Agenda for the Future." This panel featured Robert Baldwin, Executive Vice-President and General Counsel of the National Center for State Courts; Chief Justice John T. Broderick, Jr. of the New Hampshire Supreme Court; and Justice Laurie D. Zelon, Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal and was moderated by Richard Zorza.
The panel made some interesting points. First, they suggested that the community needs to broaden the conversation and make the public and politicians aware of the issue. This issue is one that affects the middle class and small businesses as well as low-income households. When speaking to attorneys on access-to-justice issues, Chief Justice Broderick frequently ask lawyers if they could afford to hire themselves and for how long. He usually gets knowing smiles. Without broadening support and making this a recognizable issue, courts are not going to get the support that they need to make the necessary changes.
Second, Chief Justice Broderick said that no issue should be more important to a chief justice than access to justice; instead, judges have been the "principle stumbling block." Self-represented litigants aren't going anywhere, and judges need to "get over it." Chief justices should be speaking out about the issue, and courts needs to be making changes before they start asking politicians for more money. (I suspect that this thought goes along with my theory of "If you don't care enough to put some money towards it, why should anyone else?")
Lastly, the panel encouraged the participants to focus the discussion on access for all and to refine the definition of the 100 percent access to justice. Chief Justice Broderick reminded the participants that not every problem needs a lawyer and not every problem will find a lawyer. And Robert Baldwin asked the group to remember to make the conversation about more than lawyers and money. - K
