Tiny Chats are bite-sized annotated videos that touch on specific access to justice topics and court operations. To sign-up to get notification of any future Tiny Chats, please register here.
Tiny Chat 13: Self-Help Centers
How can courts safely offer in-person self-help services? Danielle and Zach are joined by NCSC Senior Architect and Facilities Planner Allie McKenzie to discuss six tips from their new paper exploring this topic.
Resource: Coming to Court for Self-Help During COVID-19: Six Ways to Keep Court Users and Staff Safe
Tiny Chat 12: SRL
What is it actually like to be a self-represented litigant? What better way to find out than to ask? Zach and Danielle sit down with Monica, who shares her story of trying to utilize the court system without a lawyer.
Tiny Chat: High Volume Dockets Series
David Slayton, Administrative Director of the Texas Office of Court Administration joins Danielle and Zach to discuss new guidance from CCJ/COSCA on high volume dockets during the pandemic. Start watching a Tiny Chats dive into high volume week here and please enjoy our very first scripted skit - the High Volume Docket Cafe!
Resource: Considerations for High-Volume Dockets During the Pandemic
Erika Rickard, Project Director at the Pew Charitable Trust's Civil Legal Modernization Unit, joins Danielle and Zach to share some high level takeways from their excellent recent report on debt collection. Then, Zach and Danielle try their hand at some car puns. Watch to find out why!
Resource: How Debt Collectors Are Transforming the Business of State Courts
Has one man ever been so pleased with another man's mustache? Unlikely. Zach and Danielle talk with Mark Swartz, Executive Director of the Lawyers' Committee for Better Housing about procedural considerations in evictions cases as well as tips for working with civil legal aid partners.
Associate Judge Jeremy Fowler of Potter Co., TX joins Danielle and Zach to explain his lessons learned and technology suggestions for approaching remote child support hearings.
Resource: Texas Child Support Zoom Order
Zach and Danielle are joined by Dave Byers, Arizona State Court Administrator, to discuss remote scheduling and payment options for traffic cases.
Tiny Chat 10: Mailbag: Language Access
Jennifer Hubbard, from the Fulton County Self-Help Center, asks Danielle and Zach to explore the trends they are seeing in language access during the pandemic in the latest mailbag Tiny Chat.
Resource:
Tiny Chat Companion: Language Access
Tiny Chat 9: Upstream
Chief Justice Bridget McCormack of the Michigan Supreme Court and Dan Heath, New York Times best-selling author of the book Upstream, join Danielle and Zach in a Tiny Chat about trying to solve problems before they happen and system design in the justice system.
Tiny Chat 8: Mailbag Stakeholders
NCSC Consultants Zach Zarnow and Danielle Hirsch are answering your questions as part of a series of special mailbag episodes. First up, how can courts better partner with non-traditional stakeholders? Featuring Utah Supreme Court Justice Dino Himonas and Amy Duncan from the Louisiana State Bar Association.
Resource:
A Tiny Chat Mailbag Companion: Non-Traditional Stakeholders
Tiny Chat 7: Civil Filing Fee Waiver
How can courts approach the processes for the application and review of civil filing fee waivers during the pandemic? What should courts consider to ensure court staff and self-represented litigants understand the necessary steps and requirements for requesting a civil filing fee waiver while also accounting for social distancing requirements? Would it help if NCSC Consultants Zach Zarnow and Danielle Hirsch rhymed about this?
Tiny Chat 6: SRL E-Filing
In the sixth Tiny Chat, NCSC Consultants Danielle Hirsch and Zach Zarnow interview court staff and partners from six states to learn how their jurisdictions are handling self-represented litigant e-filing during COVID-19. Join us on a spin across the country as we learn more about their various approaches during the pandemic.
Resource:
A Tiny Chat Companion: Self-Represented Litigant E-Filing
Tiny Chat 5: Signatures and Notaries and Service
What can state birds teach us about digital signatures, notarization, and digital notice? Not much, but they are nice to look at. Join NCSC Consultants Danielle Hirsch and Zach Zarnow in this latest Tiny Chat, which outlines initial digital alternatives to in-person procedural requirements for court pleadings. This Tiny Chat builds on the Digital Divide episode and foreshadows the next episode on Self-Represented Litigant E-Filing.
Resource:
A Tiny Chat Companion: Signatures, Notaries, Notice
Tiny Chat 4: Digital Divide
With many court services now being offered online, Zach and Danielle discuss the impact of the digital divide with Monica Anderson from the Pew Research Center and David Kelly from the US Children's Bureau. Also appearing: questionable head wear and two surprise guests.
Resources:
Letter from HHS re IV-B funding
Tiny Chat Companion: Additional Resources on the Digital Divide
Tiny Chat 3: Federal Pass-Through Funding
Zach and Danielle are joined by Karen Lash, federal grants guru, who helps them understand the federal block/formula/open-end reimbursement funds (AKA pass-through funds) available to court systems navigating COVID-19 with a focus on civil self help, technology innovation and domestic violence.
Resource:
Federal Pass through Funds
Tiny Chats 2: Clear Communications
In this Tiny Chat, Danielle Hirsch and Zach Zarnow offer five tips for courts to keep in mind when crafting a communication strategy around COVID-19. They also look at some concrete examples of courts communicating well and fail at solving a Rubik's cube.
Resource:
A Tiny Chat Companion: Clear Court Communications
Tiny Chats 1: Introduction & Thinking About Court Users in the Response to COVID-19
The first chat focuses on how courts should think about court users in their response to COVID-19.