Here are the week’s headlines:
- VA creates access to justice commission;
- DE creates access to justice commission;
- BC Law Society adopts change to make legal services more affordable;
- ME Legal Defense Fund seeks additional legislative appropriation;
- Spotlight on Public Service Servants: John J. Curtin, Jr.;
- Super Music Bonus!
The summaries:
December 6, 2013- “Virginia Supreme Court Justice S. Bernard Goodwyn will chair a commission to recommend ways to improve legal services for low-income residents in civil cases. Chief Justice Cynthia Kinser announced the appointment of Goodwyn and the rest of the 18-member Access to Justice Commission this week. Blue Ridge Legal Services executive director John Whitfield will serve as co-chair.” “A nationwide organization of chief justices and court administrators recommended creation of such a commission in every state. Virginia is the 29th state to do so. The commission will report its progress to the state Supreme Court quarterly for the first two years and annually after that.” (NBC12)
December 7, 2013 – “The Delaware Supreme Court recently established the Delaware Access to Justice Commission (a copy of the Court’s press release regarding the Commission can be found here). The Commission is charged with providing a coordinated approach to investigating and addressing gaps and critical needs related to access to justice in Delaware. The Delaware Commission follows the lead of other states that have created Access to Justice Commissions to identify and eliminate barriers impending access to justice for low to moderate income persons. Members of the Delaware Access to Justice Commission will be appointed by the Supreme Court and include representatives from each of the Courts, the Office of the AG, the Office of the Public Defendant, the Delaware State Bar Association, the Delaware Bar Foundation, Delaware Volunteer Legal Services, Inc., the Community Legal Aid Society, Inc., Legal Services Corporations of Delaware, Inc., the State Court Administrator, and other community stakeholders.” (Delaware Trial Practice Blog)
December 10, 2013 – “The Law Society of British Columbia made a fundamental ‘watershed’ decision on Dec. 6 with respect to the future direction of how legal services might be regulated and indeed offered in Canada’s third largest province. The society’s governing body unanimously endorsed the recommendations of its Legal Service Providers Task Force, which recently concluded a study as to whether various legal services providers, including lawyers, notaries public and paralegals, should be brought under one regulatory umbrella.” “The hope is that the consumers of legal services (i.e. members of the public) will inevitably be able to obtain better access to legal services from a wider variety of legal service providers more affordably than they can now.” (The Globe and Mail)
December 10, 2013 – “The state commission that manages the legal costs of indigent defendants in Maine’s courts says it’s running out of money. Executive Director John Pelletier told members of the panel the reason is an increase in cases. He says criminal cases are up.” “In the middle six months of the year they increased 15 percent over what they had seen in the first quarter of the year,” Pelletier said. “Child Protective showed a similar increase – the second quarter over first quarter was about 7 percent.” “The commission voted to request a supplemental appropriation from the Legislature when it re-convenes next month. Panel members fear the demands on court-appointed lawyers will continue to increase as the budget year continues.” (MPBN)
Spotlight on Outstanding Public Servants:John J. Curtin, Jr. was a tireless advocate for legal aid and helping the poor. “He had a tremendous moral compass,” said his son Joe of Wellesley, who also is a lawyer. “He knew the right thing to do, and he would do it, even when it wasn’t the best thing for him. He always said to us: ‘When you have a tough decision to make, figure out the right thing to do, and then do it.’” Among his many honors, the American Bar Association awards annual fellowships in Mr. Curtin’s name to help pay three law school students to spend a summer working for a legal services program “designed to prevent homelessness or assist homeless or indigent clients.” Mr. Curtin died last week at age 80. He will be greatly missed. (The Boston Globe)