Report: Language Access Innovations in Courts (Legal Design Lab 2019)
In a study for the California Judicial Council, Stanford University's Legal Design Lab evaluated how technology, such as the use of tablets and Google Translate, might improve court access for visitors of Limited English Proficiency (LEP). Language Access Innovations in Courts discusses how LEP visitors experience the courts, how technology might improve their experience, as well as recommendations for continued evaluation and enhancements going forward.
News: Interactive story map shows hurricane impacts and Florida’s vulnerable populations (Florida 2017)
The Self-Represented Litigation Network (SRLN) helped The Florida Bar Foundation create a new data resource that reveals the impact of Hurricane Irma on Florida and the vulnerable populations who could potentially need civil legal aid in the recovery, and generally. With our Geographic Information Systems (GIS) expertise, we worked with The Foundation to develop an interactive story map that provides access to geospatial data from FEMA, HUD, the CDC, the U.S.
Year published:
2017
Document Author:
Alison Davis-Holland
News: Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice Uses SRLN Maps for Statewide Strategic Planning (Illinois Supreme Court 2017)
The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice has started using the SRLN demographics maps for presentations to circuit clerks, circuit court judges, civil legal aid and pro bono practitioners. “The maps helped provide context for why access to justice is so necessary by broadening our scope of focus onto statewide demographics,” states Danielle Hirsch, Assistant Director of the Civil Justice Division of Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts.
Year published:
2017
Document Author:
Alison Davis-Holland
Article: Improving Access to Justice: Plain Language Family Law Court Forms in Washington State (Dyer, Fairbanks, Greiner, Barron, Skreen, Cerrillo-Ramirez, Lee, Hinsee 2013)
From the Abstract:
Year published:
2013
Document Author:
Charles R. Dyer, Joan E. Fairbanks, M. Lynn Greiner, Kirsten Barron, Janet L. Skreen, Josefina Cerrillo-Ramirez, Andrew Lee, Bill Hinsee
Weblinks: Efficiencies and Innovation in California (Judicial Branch of California 2015)
On its webpage entitled, Efficiencies & Innovations (courts.ca.gov), the The California judicial branch, which is widely acknowledged as a national leader in developing and implementing programs that enhance access to justice, provides information and links to numerous initiatives have been implemented statewide and at individual trial courts to ensure that public service is delivered effectively and efficiently for the benefit of court users.
Year published:
2015
Document Author:
Judicial Branch of California
Webinar: Technology Tools to Enhance Legal Services for LEP - Websites, Videos and More (LSNTAP, LSC, ProBonoNet 2014)
In the webinar Technology Tools to Enhance Legal Services for Limited English Proficiency, four panelists (Kathy Daniels, IT Administrator Statewide Legal Services in Connecticut, Rochelle Klempner, Chief Counsel NYS Access to Justice Program, Mike Monahan, Director State Bar of Georgia/GLSP Pro Bono Project, Sandra Sandoval, Field Support Coordinator, Immigration Advocates Network, and moderated by Mirenda Watkins of ProBonoNet) discuss technology tools that are being incorporated by legal service providers and courts, why technology is important in this context, and the challenges of
Year published:
2014
Document Author:
Rochelle Klempner, Kathy Daniels, Mike Monahan, Sandra Sandoval, Pro Bono Net, LSNTAP
SRLN Brief: LEP Language Access Resources (SRLN 2015)
Without proper language assistance, Limited English Proficient (LEP) court users are excluded from meaningful participation in the courts. Federal laws particularly applicable to language access include Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Title VI regulations, prohibiting discrimination based on national origin, and Executive Order 13166 issued in 2000. Many individual federal programs, states, and localities also have provisions requiring language services for LEP individuals.
Leading national resources for those wishing to learn more include the following:
Year published:
2015
Document Author:
Self-Represented Litigation Network
SRLN Brief: Plain Language Resources for 100% Access (SRLN 2015)
What is plain language?
As described by the federal government on plainlanguage.gov, plain language is communication your audience can understand the first time they read or hear it. Plain language is recognized as an essential best practice in all access to justice initiatives. It is an especially important consideration in the development of forms and instructions, but the concepts can also guide simplification efforts.
Year published:
2015
Document Author:
Self-Represented Litigation Network
Resource: 12 Tips on Working with an Interpreter (Language Lines Services 2005)
This short tip sheet from Language Line Services can help staff understand how to best engage an interpreter.
Year published:
2005
Document Author:
Language Line Services Inc.
Weblinks: Language Access Bench Cards (Multiple States 2015)
As courts develop language access policies, many are developing bench card to standardize bench officer protocols. Examples of a few follow:
Minnesota Bench Card for Courtroom Interpreting
Minnesota Bench Card for Video Remote Interpreting in the Courtroom
Year published:
2015
Document Author:
SRLN