What do court navigator programs do: An overview & partnerships, part 1

Join us for a year of learning and fun at Court Navigator School — a series of one-hour virtual webinar sessions that provide information, ideas, and tangible suggestions to help you start a navigator program or enhance your existing program.  From October 2025 to June 2026, we'll offer five lecture sessions which cover important topics to help you start a program or enhance your existing program. Additional "study hall" sessions will provide structured, online technical assistance and advice from national experts and a place to share ideas with colleagues, exchange information, and explore possibilities in your jurisdiction in a small group setting.  

Our first session, "What do court navigator programs do: An overview & partnerships, part 1," will look at what makes a court navigator program successful. This webinar will introduce students to the purpose and scope of court navigator programs, highlighting the wide range of services they provide and the different ways services are delivered. The lecture will trace the origins of these programs and explore how they have grown and adapted over time. Students will examine how navigator programs build and maintain strong partnerships with a variety of entities, including access to justice commissions, universities, civil legal aid providers, clerk's offices, courts, and other key stakeholders. 

Following the webinar, participants can further explore the topic during the "study hall" session, "What do court navigator programs do: An overview & partnerships, part 2," on Friday, Nov. 7, from 1-2 p.m. ET.

Register today

Faculty:

• Mary Ferwerda, chief deputy clerk of circuit court, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
• Mary McClymont, senior fellow, Georgetown Justice Lab
• Rob Wall, senior court management consultant, NCSC

For more information, contact Lonni Summers.

Future Court Navigator School sessions:

• Session 2: How to train court navigator staff
  • Friday, Dec. 5
  • Faculty: Jill Roberts, deputy director, Access to Justice division, Illinois Courts
• Session 3: Using technology & remote services navigator programs
  • Friday, Feb. 6, 2026
• Session 4: How to establish (and maintain) program funding
  • Friday, April 10, 2026
  • Faculty: Stacey Weiler, director of grants & access to justice, Illinois Bar Foundation; and Robby Southers, Ohio Access to Justice Foundation
• Session 5: Collecting & using court navigator program data
  • Friday, June 5, 2026

Study hall dates:

• Nov. 7
• Jan. 9, 2026
• March 6, 2026
• May 1, 2026
• June 26, 2026