Rule 1403: Access to Justice Liaisons

(a)   Purpose. To assure that access to justice is promoted at all levels of the judicial branch, this rule provides for the designation of representatives from each court to work with the Access to Justice Committee to remove barriers and promote equal access to justice throughout the state.

(b)   Local Access to Justice Liaisons. Each judicial district and the Court of Appeals will designate a judge and a court employee to act as local access to justice liaisons. 

(c)   Responsibilities of Liaisons. A local access to justice liaison will have the following responsibilities:

(1)   transmitting information between the courts and the Access to Justice Committee about efforts to expand access to justice and improve court operations;

(2)   maintaining a list of judges and employees within the judicial district or appellate court who frequently interact directly with self-represented litigants; 

(3)   reporting programs and technology the judicial district or appellate court has established and utilized to improve the delivery of legal services and to reduce barriers to equal access to justice;

(4)   sharing information with the Access to Justice Committee about barriers to justice, including technological barriers, that have been observed and any programs the judicial district or appellate court has considered or adopted to reduce those barriers; and

(5)   providing feedback to the Access to Justice Committee about training, technology, or resources needed to improve access to the courts and to better serve the public. 

[History: New rule adopted effective August 28, 2020.]