Access to Justice: South Carolina The South Carolina Access to Justice Commission is supported by an...

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The South Carolina Access to Justice Commission is supported by an IOLTA grant from the

South Carolina Bar Foundation

Access to Justice:

South CarolinaApril 8, 2009

USC School of Law, Social Justice Seminar

Robin F. Wheeler

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The South Carolina Access to Justice Commission is supported by an IOLTA grant from the South Carolina Bar Foundation

Objectives

•History of the Commission

•Findings from the SCATJ Public Hearings

•Videos from the SCATJ Public Hearings

•Commission’s Work Focus Areas

•Accomplishments to Date

•Ongoing Projects

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Access to Justice

• About 4/5 of

civil legal needs

of the poor and

up to 3/5 of the

needs of middle-

income

individuals

remain UNMET

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• What is JUSTICE?

• Is Equal Justice met through PROCEDURAL

Justice?

• Does equal access to LAW require access to

LEGAL ASSISTANCE?

• What is a LEGAL need?

• What is necessary to provide ADEQUATE justice?

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The National Legal Services

Funding Pie 2007

LS C

3 0 %

La wy e r

6 %Fdns

7 %

I OLTA

11%

UW

2 %S t a t e

17 %

P ubl i c

20 %

Ot he r

7 %

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$30 to $49 Less than $20

Funding Per Poor Person, 2005 Chart

$50 plus $20 thru $39

(Dollars Per Poor Person)

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$30 to $49 Less than $20

Funding Per Poor Person, 2007 Chart

$50 plus $20 thru $29

(Dollars Per Poor Person)

South Carolina

$16.69

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SCATJ History5-6-2005: TX Sup.Ct Justice Harriet O'Neill invites George

Cauthen to the ABA’s Annual Nat’l Meeting of State ATJ Chairs in Austin. Mr. Cauthen subsequently presents a motion to the SC Bar's ATJ Committee to create a SC ATJ Comm’n.

7-19-2005: Committee notifies Chief Justice Jean Hoefer Toal (CJT) & then SC Bar Pres. Dan White of this proposal by letter.

11-2005: Committee votes in favor of creating a Comm’n & recommends that SC Bar's BOG adopt a resol’n calling upon the SC Sup.Ct to create such a Comm’n.

Fall 2005: Justice O'Neill reaches out to CJT to create SC ATJ Comm’n.

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SCATJ History cont’d

1-26-2006: The BOG approves the motion & sends the proposal to the Bar's HOD, which votes in favor of the resol’n.

2-2006: Bob Wells, SC Bar ED, notifies CJT of SC Bar's Resol’n requesting Court to create a SC ATJ Comm’n.

5-22-2006: CJT meets with Bar delegation & formal work on the Comm’n begins.

10-2006: CJT designates Stuart Andrews as chair of the ATJ Task Force (TF).

11-16-2006: 1st TF meeting held. Bob Echols, ABA consultant on ATJ Comm’ns, covers various aspects of Comm’ns

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SCATJ History cont’d

1-25-2007: TF meets again with CJT presiding & Justice O'Neill participating.

1-31-2007: SC Sup.Ct establishes SCATJ Comm’n with Admin. Order 2007-01-31-01.

9-27-2007: First formal Comm’n meeting held.

10-1-2007: Robin Wheeler starts as the first ED of the SC ATJ Comm’n.

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State ATJ Commissions

ATJ Commission

ATJ Commission Under

Consideration

Puerto Rico

DC

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SCATJ Public Hearings

• 7 Regional Public Hearings plus Supreme Court

• Information presented:– Staffed programs have limitations based on income, generally 125% of

poverty and up to 200% in some instances. Most set priorities and are unable to provide case representation to all who request assistance.

– Communication Barriers exist for LEP and deaf using ASL. Many forms are in Legalese.

– Lack of Standardized Forms and Processes in all courts in all counties

– Lack of access to resources – no telephones or computers

– Lack of Transportation, especially public transportation, even in more urban areas

– Self-represented Litigants are on the rise

– Urge more Pro Bono participation

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4 Focus Areas

• Expand resources for Staffed Programs such as

SCLS, CHPP, SC Appleseed Legal Justice

Center

• Expand and enhance resources for SRLs

• Expand Pro Bono service within SC

• Education of the Bench, Bar, General Public

about barriers to access to justice for people of

low or limited income

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Accomplishments

• Staffed Programs Committee

– Interpreters for the Deaf Work Group

• SRL Committee – SRL Divorce Forms

– Clerk of Court Work Group

• Pro Bono Committee – Celebrate Pro Bono October

2009 (see http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/probono/)

– Rule 608 Work Group

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5 Principles for court staff

- John Greacen

1. Obligation to explain court processes and

procedures to litigants, media and others

2. Obligation to inform litigants of how to bring

problems before court for resolution

3. Cannot advise litigants whether to bring problems

before the court or remedies to seek

4. Remember IMPARTIALITY

5. Be mindful of rule prohibiting ex parte

communication and this includes court staff

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Signage

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Clerk of Court

Training: ALLOWED

• Legal definitions,

• Procedural definitions,

• Provide Citations, Court rules, Orders

• Public case information

• Options

• Facilitate access

• General referrals

• Instructions on how to complete forms

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Clerk of Court Training:

PROHIBITED

• Legal interpretation

• Procedural advice

• Research statutes, court rules, cases, orders

• Confidential case info

• Confidential info re: court operations

• Opinions

• Deny or discourage access

• Encourage litigation

• Subjective or biased referrals

• Fill out forms for a party

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SRL: Judicial Ethics

• Ethical Rules Support Access & Neutrality

• SC Code of Judicial Conduct Identifies

Two Ethical Duties:

1) Provide every person with an opportunity to

be heard

2) Perform all duties impartially

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1. For the Homeowner

� Loss of shelter

� Loss of accumulated equity

� Possibility of deficiency judgment

� Loss of credit standing

� Potential difficulties finding alternative housing

� Loss of personal property

� For elders: frequent unnecessary transition to restricted livingenvironments

� Stress, pressures on the family structure

� Moving expenses

� Unexpected tax consequences

Staffed: Consequences of

Foreclosure

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2. For the Mortgage Holder

� Foreclosure losses

� If the lender is large enough, potential loss of overall collateral

value

� Loss of customers

3. For the Community

� Property deterioration

� Potential property abandonment

� Loss of neighbors, loss of community cohesiveness

� Potential for vandalism and other crime

� Reduction in property values, reduction in tax base

Consequences of Foreclosure

(cont’d)

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Plain Language

A Summons from a Layperson perspective:

YOU ARE HEREBY AUFGEFORDERT

and required to Answer the Complaint in

this Handlung, of which a copy is iermit

gedient auf Sie, and to dienen Sie einer

Kopie Ihrer Antwort auf die gesagte

Beschwerde on the persons whose names

are geunterzeichnet below.

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SC Resources• www.sccourts.org – SC Courts

• www.scbar.org – SC Bar

• www.sclegal.org – SC Legal Services

• http://scjustice.org – SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center

• www.heirsproperty.org/ - Center for Heirs Property Preservation

• www.protectionandadvocacy-sc.org/ - Protection and Advocacy for People with Disabilities, Inc.

• http://www.scbar.org/member_resources/mentoring/ -Second Pilot Mentoring Program

• www.lawhelp.org/sc

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National Resources• SRLs

– http://www.zorza.net/

– http://www.selfhelpsupport.org/

– http://www.ncsconline.org

• Staffed Programs– http://www.lsc.gov/

– http://www.ndrn.org/

– http://www.povertylaw.org/

– http://www.splcenter.org/

• Access to Justice Initiatives– http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/sclaid/atjresourcecenter/home.html

• Pro Bono– http://www.probono.net/

– http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/probono/

• IOLTA– http://www.iolta.org/

– http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/iolta/home.html

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Find us ONLINE!

• Facebook -

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.

php?gid=25788353737&ref=ts

• Twitter - http://twitter.com/SCATJ

• Blog: http://scaccesstojustice.wordpress.com/

• www.scatj.org (Coming April 2009)

Access to Justice: South Carolina The South Carolina Access to Justice Commission is supported by an...

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