The Self-Help Friendly Court: Designed from the Ground Up to Work for People Without Lawyers

By Richard Zorza - 030111

Abstract Number: 030111

June 2003

Richard Zorza's "The Self-Help Friendly Court: Designed from the Ground Up to Work for People Without Lawyers" explores ways courts could be fundamentally redesigned to meet the needs of self-represented litigants. Recognizing that courts were designed for two parties, each represented by an attorney, Zorza seeks to prepare the court system for a rapidly arriving future where self-represented litigants are increasingly becoming the norm. Zorza points out that the increase in self-represented litigants stems from substantial attorneys fees which are often beyond the reach of the middle class. Zorza's book issues a challenge to the legal community to ensure that courts are accessible to self-represented litigants and provides several ways to facilitate this goal through redesigning courthouse buildings, improving the court's use of technology, new training techniques, and more. Zorza's book is includes the following sections:

• Part One: Vision, Barriers, and Approaches
• Part Two: Redesigning the Physical and Technological Environment
• Part Three: Rethinking the Process Step-by-Step
• Part Four: Meeting the Needs of Uncontested and "Mixed" Cases
• Part Five: Building a Broad Self-Help Court Team
• Part Six: Perspectives for the Long View

Access the full book below as a PDF document.

Contact Information:

Richard Zorza
Consultant in Technology, Nonprofits and Justice
Phone: (202) 549-1128
Fax: (425) 969-8470
Email

Additional Information:

• Richard Zorza, The Self Help Friendly Court: Designed from the Ground Up to Work for People Without Lawyers (National Center for State Courts; Williamsburg, VA; 2002). (PDF, 331kb)

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