Study: Lessons from the Country: Serving Self-Represented Litigants in Rural Jurisdictions (Henschen 2002)
This study focuses on the particular concerns of rural jurisdictions in meeting the challenges of pro se litigation, examining 25 pro se assistance programs serving rural or predominantly rural jurisdictions across 17 states. Findings are drawn from survey data and phone interviews with program coordinators, court clerks, court administrators, judges, and program partners.
Year published:
2002
Document Author:
Beth M. Henschen
Evaluation: Report on the Self-Help Centers of the 4th Judicial District Court of the State of Minnesota (Minnesota Judicial Branch 2004)
This report is an evaluation of the Self Help Programs of the Fourth Judicial District Court of the State of Minnesota, located in Hennepin County.
Year published:
2004
Document Author:
Anita Bailey, Richard Zorza
Evaluation: Evaluation of the Van Nuys Legal Self Help Center - Final Report (UCLA School of Law 2001)
In April of 2001, the Empirical Research Group of the UCLA School of Law was commissioned by San Fernando Valley Neighborhood Legal Services and the County of Los Angeles to "design a system, procedure and framework for evaluating the effectiveness of the Self Help Legal Access Center" in the Van Nuys Courthouse (Los Angeles County). Their evaluation aimed to answer four questions:
Year published:
2001
Document Author:
Empirical Research Group - UCLA School of Law
Report: A Comparative Readability Study of Plain Language Court Forms (Mindlin 2012)
This article presents the results from the first quantitative readability study of plain language court forms in the United States. Sixty citizens on a jury panel were selected to respond to brief questionnaires that tested relative comprehension of plain language court forms and the corresponding traditional court forms. Results show a marked and statistically significant improvement in reader comprehension when court forms are treated for plain language.
Year published:
2012
Document Author:
Maria Mindlin
Research: Principles of Readability (DuBay 2004)
This research gives a brief introduction to the literacy studies in the U.S. and the research on readability and the readability formulas. It is available at http://www.impact-information.com/impactinfo/readability02.pdf
Year published:
2004
Document Author:
William H. DuBay
Article: Plain Language Overview (Transcend 2005)
This article talks about what constitutes the Plain Language training program, the benefits of using Plain Language, and which organizations use the Plain Language by Transcend.
Transcend also publishes information on the use of Plain Language on their website here, https://transcend.net/services/PL.html.
Year published:
2005
Document Author:
Transcend
Report: Services for Self-Represented Litigants in Arkansas: A Report to the Arkansas Access to Justice Commission (Greacen 2013)
This report documents the services currently available to persons in this situation in Arkansas. It shows that for the most part they are left on their own and flounder. The recommendations of the report set forth a comprehensive, but relatively inexpensive, set of policy and administrative actions that can bring about dramatic change in the environment for self-represented litigants in Arkansas within the period of one or two years. The plan for universal access to civil justice in Arkansas consists of six components:
Year published:
2013
Document Author:
John Greacen
Study: Self-Represented Litigants in Family Law Cases In Jackson County, Missouri (Cook 2007)
This study is unique because it included the self-represented in its survey.
From the Abstract:
This report is based on surveys that examined the attitudes and perceptions of judges, the family law bar, family court staff, and self-represented litigants regarding:
• court assistance of self-represented litigants in family law cases;
• type and number of cases with self-represented litigants;
• profiles of the self-represented litigant;
Year published:
2007
Document Author:
Cynthia Cook
Report: The Benefits and Costs of Programs to Assist Self-Represented Litigants (California 2009)
This Report was prepared by John Greacen for the Judicial Council of California, center for Families, Children and the Courts. Preliminary research conducted in courts in the San Joaquin Valley in California shows that self help services provided to self-represented litigants produce economic savings for courts and for litigants. The findings should prove helpful to courts seeking information on the costs and benefits of the services they render as they make difficult resource allocation decisions in today’s challenging fiscal climate.
Year published:
2009
Document Author:
John Greacen, California Judicial Council Center for Families Children & the Courts
Report: Resources to Assist Self-Represented Litigants: A Fifty State Review of the State of the Art (Greacen 2011)
This report was originally commissioned by the Michigan State Bar Foundation to assist Michigan’s Solutions on Self-Help (SOS) Task Force, but modified to serve as a national resource so that it may be of value to other jurisdictions working to enhance support for the self-represented. Its information and ideas may benefit those just starting such work as well as programs that have been underway for a while. It is relevant to both court-based and other self-help programs, and includes a national review of forms at the time of publication.
Year published:
2011
Document Author:
John Greacen