All posts by Roger Smith

Community Outreach in a digital world: the People’s Law School responds to Covid 19

digital information

If you can stand on the same street corner long enough, then things that go around tend to come around again. The wonderfully named People’s Law School in British Columbia began with the enthusiasm of law students to democratise law in the early 1970s. It lead the world in public legal education sufficiently to star … Continue reading Community Outreach in a digital world: the People’s Law School responds to Covid 19 →

Gas stations, the rule of law and Covid 19 court best practice.

remote courts

Let’s cut to the chase. This post is about the value of bringing together common experience around the world on remote courts with the purpose of establishing best practice – for courts, judges, representatives and litigants. But, first, we have a diversion on the value of the rule of law – a topic of considerable … Continue reading Gas stations, the rule of law and Covid 19 court best practice. →

Online Immigration Appeals

digital courts, , ,

I once, on behalf of an organisation with which I was associated, plotted the take over of the Public Law Project (PLP). Last month, PLP published its latest study of online immigration appeals. Nothing better makes the point about the value of its continued autonomy. To interfere would have been crass to the level of … Continue reading Online Immigration Appeals →

Legal Assistance Portals

digital and personal assistance,

One of the developing elements of access to justice assistance in the United States is the growth of statewide ‘legal portals’. These have been backed by the Legal Services Corporation, (with partners including Microsoft) which has itself funded them in Hawaii and Alaska, and a powerful foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts – which combines, like the … Continue reading Legal Assistance Portals →

World beating data on access to justice – Citizens Advice, Amazon and the rest

data, ,

At the base of legal aid and assistance pyramid in England and Wales has, since the 1970s been the Citizens Advice service (CA). Through a national network of offices and lay volunteers, supplemented now by a website, it provides basic triage services of identification, resolution and referral to more specialist advisers and practitioners. It does … Continue reading World beating data on access to justice – Citizens Advice, Amazon and the rest →