Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission May 27, 2021 Commission Meeting Highlights
Thank you to the Commissioners and guests who joined us for the final meeting of the 2020-2021 Commission year on Thursday, May 27, 2021.
Highlights included a presentation by the Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) Committee on its upcoming Report to the Trial Court, which will make recommendations on ensuring ODR systems are structured to incorporate access to justice principles. We also heard from the newly formed Racial Equity and Justice working group about its recent activities and proposed plans. In addition, Committee Co-Chairs were available to answer questions and provide information on Committee activities.
The Commission extended its deep appreciation to outgoing Commissioners: Jacquelynne Bowman, Executive Director at Greater Boston Legal Services; Jonathan Mannina, Executive Director at Community Legal Aid; Jennifer Grace Miller, Counsel to the Massachusetts Senate; and Marilyn Wellington, Executive Director at the Massachusetts Board of Bar Examiners. The Commission thanks them for their dedicated commitment to improving access to justice in the Commonwealth.
Finally, the Commission expressed its gratitude to outgoing Commission Co-Chair, Sue Finegan, Partner, Mintz Levin. A member of the Commission since 2011 and Co-Chair since 2015, Sue has led the Commission with extraordinary skill, commitment and grace and has been instrumental in the Commission’s many successes over the past years.
Access to Justice News
Restoring the Department of Justice’s Access-to-Justice Function
On May 18, 2021 President Biden signed a Presidential Memorandum on restoring the Department of Justice’s access to justice function and reinvigorating the White House Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable. You can read the Department of Justice’s press release and Attorney General Garland’s memorandum outlining next steps.
National Center for State Courts Tiny Chat: Robyn’s Experience
The National Center for State Court produces “Tiny Chats,” which explore a broad range of access to justice issues. The recent Tiny Chat Robyn’s Experience is a conversation with a self-represented litigant named Robyn about “what it was like for her to try and get divorced from her abusive spouse, how it felt asking for a fee waiver, and what she wishes courts understood about what it is like for someone to try and use the system on their own.”
National Center for Access to Justice: 2021 Justice Index
Published by the National Center for Access to Justice, the 2021 Justice Index, a data-intensive resource that ranks the states on their adoption of selected best policies for ensuring access to justice, ranked Massachusetts third overall behind Maryland and Washington D.C., and first in the Northeast. You can dig into the details here.
It’s Time: Centering Anti-Racism in Civil Legal Aid – Successes, Challenges and Next Steps – Save the Date!
Save the date! The Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation is hosting “It’s Time: Centering Anti-Racism in Civil Legal Aid – Successes, Challenges and Next Steps” from July 20-22. Stay tuned for more information.
Finally, the Commission would like to thank Christian McGrew, Project Analyst at Mintz Levin, for his support to the Commission this year. We wish him well in his next endeavor!