Category: Spotlights

The Document Assembly Line, created by the Legal Innovation and Technology Lab (LIT Lab) at Suffolk University Law School, helps individuals build open-source access-to-justice tools and resources for court forms, online guided interviews, and e-filing. It provides affordable Docassemble hosting and e-filing tools for courts and legal aid organizations. The LIT Lab has also created free and open-source software for building and e-filing court forms, supported by an active community of courts, legal aid organizations, and volunteers such as:

1. AssemblyLine tools – Docassemble software extensions for building guided interviews, including the Weaver, a library of translated questions, and other tools.
2. E-filing software – E-filing proxy server, integrations for court e-filing systems, and LITEfile, a general-purpose e-filing tool for self-represented litigants.
3. Community support – Meetings, workshops, an online support forum, training, documentation, and other resources.
4. Docassemble hosting – Affordable hosting with the AssemblyLine tools, configured for the needs (and budgets) of courts and legal aid organizations.
5. EFSP with e-filing tools – E-filing service provider (EFSP) access, LITEfile, and custom integrations for court e-filing systems.

In May 2025, an eviction sealing law went into effect in Massachusetts. Suffolk LIT Clinic students, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Trial Court, built an online guided interview tool. The tool makes it easy to complete a petition to seal an eviction and e-file it with the court. During the first week, more than 300 people completed the petition using the new guided interview. Learn more: https://suffolklitlab.org/eviction-sealing-tool-launched-with-massachusetts-trial-court/

“A well-designed form allows people to express themselves in a way the court can understand.”

—David Colarusso, Suffolk LIT Lab Co-Director

The Supreme Court of New Mexico, with generous assistance from SJI, has convened a committee dedicated to the development of an alternative, supervised-practice means of licensure that focuses on a skills-based assessment of a bar applicant’s legal abilities. The National Center for State Courts, as contractor on the project, assisted the committee by gathering information about similar models in other states and surveying local interested persons so that the qualifications and requirements of the program fit the needs of New Mexico. The committee expects to provide a final report to the New Mexico Supreme Court this spring.

While a two-day written examination has been used for decades, new reports questioning its efficacy in assessing a bar applicant’s readiness to practice law prompted the New Mexico Supreme Court to explore additional means of admitting attorneys to the practice.

Under the program, candidates must graduate from an accredited law school and will receive a conditional license to practice law upon acceptance. Candidates then work with a supervisor to submit regular work product for review by the Board of Bar Examiners to determine the candidate’s competence to practice. A candidate proves their practice readiness with actual legal work product and may begin working and earning a paycheck much sooner. For supervisors, this program will provide a pool of candidates who are able to practice upon graduation while also giving rural practitioners a new recruitment tool to encourage attorneys to practice in different parts of the state.

The National Open Court Data Standards (NODS) consists of business and technical court data standards designed to facilitate the sharing of court data, ensure consistency in how data are understood and used, and reduce the costs and efforts required for courts to respond to data requests. In addition, several states are using NODS as a framework to build statewide data repositories.

Over the last four years, SJI has supported the implementation of NODS in 16 states. A recent evaluation of the project found that successful implementation has relied upon supportive executive leadership, dedicated staff, a designated NODS champion, and financial resources. Barriers to implementation have included a lack of resources, competing priorities, and insufficient leadership support. For states implementing NODS, it has been a useful tool to identify and address data governance issues. Most adopting courts indicated that their court began to collect new data elements due to mapping their case management system to NODS.

In addition to the core spreadsheet of data elements, resources available to courts and vendors include:

• NODS NIEM6 Message specification
• NODS User Guide
• NODS Leadership Guide

Along with Subject-area specific guides to NODS, including:

• NODS for Family Court
• NODS for Guardianship
• NODS for Traffic
• NODS for Criminal

These resources are available at www.ncsc.org/nods.

Webinars are also available to learn more about NODS, including a Data Dives Webinar on NODS and a special webinar on Better Traffic data with NODS. 

The Arizona Supreme Court implemented the Arizona Lawyer Apprentice Program (ALAP) on September 1, 2024, with generous grant support from the State Justice Institute, creating an alternative pathway to law licensure. ALAP is designed for candidates who narrowly miss Arizona’s Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) passing score of 270, recognizing that a single cut score does not perfectly measure attorney competence and future success. Rather than requiring these candidates to retake the UBE, ALAP allows those scoring between 260 and 269 to practice law under the supervision of an experienced Arizona attorney.

Participants must commit to two years of providing legal services in rural areas or with public law offices statewide and meet all other admission standards. Upon successful completion of the program, an ALAP licensee transitions to a regular license to practice law in Arizona. This innovative program reflects the Court’s commitment to expanding access to justice while offering aspiring attorneys a meaningful opportunity to demonstrate their competence.

After one year, ALAP has shown strong engagement with 70 applications received. For the July 2025 UBE, 16 of 44 eligible candidates (36%) have applied, while for the February 2025 UBE, 20 of 36 eligible candidates (56%) have applied. Earlier eligibility periods yielded 19 applications from July 2024 examinees (35%) and 7 applications from July 2023/February 2024 examinees (12%).

To date, 44 ALAP licenses have been issued, with 40 currently active. Three licensees subsequently achieved a UBE score of 270 or higher, and one license expired due to failure to secure qualifying employment. Seventeen ALAP applications remain active. For more information about ALAP you can visit the ALAP website ALAP – Arizona Lawyer Apprentice Program. For information on how to apply, see Arizona Attorney Admissions – Applications & Information.

The National Center for State Courts (NCSC), with funding from the State Justice Institute (SJI), launched a national initiative to strengthen state courts readiness for cyberattacks and technical disruptions through Cybersecurity and Disaster Recovery Workshops. These regional sessions (first virtual and then in-person) bring together judges, administrators, IT leaders, and communications staff to enhance preparedness, recovery, and continuity capabilities.

The first workshop was held in September 2024, and sessions have now been completed in four of five regions nationwide. The final workshop will take place in Rhode Island in April 2026. The most recent session, hosted in St. Louis, Missouri, included participation from Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Earlier workshops engaged participants from Alaska, Arizona, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, New Mexico, Northern Mariana Islands, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Virginia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Each workshop follows a collaborative team-based approach, bringing together a judicial officer, IT leadership, court administrator, public information officer, emergency manager, and general counsel to collaborate through structured exercises that test and strengthen cybersecurity and disaster recovery plans. As part of each workshop, participants receive education and guidance, along with a court focused workbook and template designed to help courts create or refine incident response plans found here: The 2025 Cybersecurity and Disaster Recovery Workshop Workbook.

Pictured: Matt Brandes, Data Center & Enterprise Services Manager; Patrick Brooks, Director, Information Technology Services; Rick Morrisey, Deputy State Courts Administrator; Chief Justice W. Brent Powell, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Missouri; and Natalie Wilson, Information Security Manager; from the Missouri State Courts participate in a cybersecurity tabletop exercise.

“These workshops, and especially the tabletop exercises and workbook have set the standard for effective court focused cybersecurity education.”

– Shay Cleary, NCSC

“I thought the interaction between the NCSC, CIS, and State Court agencies was compelling and highly informative.”

-Participant from post event survey

This collaborative effort between NCSC, the Center for Internet Security (CIS), and the Chief Information Technology Officers Consortium (CITOC) is helping courts nationwide improve resilience and ensure continuity of essential justice services.

The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) is proud to have the opportunity to further local efforts to address the unique needs of our children and families. In 2021, the NCJFCJ published the first of its kind, a toolkit for family court judges to better recognize red flags of families facing or experiencing homelessness. In 2023, SJI funded this project to pilot the toolkit locally within Washoe County, Nevada. Our judges who reside within the 2^nd Judicial District Court were thrilled to utilize their judicial leadership and compassion to assist in these efforts to help end a cycle of court engagement due to poverty, homelessness, and hunger. Through judicial guidance, we now have five local pilot sites with key community partnerships, who are taking a proactive stance to help divert families from moving further into the justice system and to appropriate align point-in-time services to youth and families facing adversity.  

Judicial leadership plays a pivotal role in shaping these efforts. As emphasized in the toolkit, “Sometimes judges have sufficient information to know a youth is experiencing homelessness. Often, however, homelessness is hidden, and judges should understand what red flags or warning signs may indicate homelessness.” This reminder reflects the core purpose of the toolkit, to guide judges and system partners in recognizing the unseen challenges youth face and ensuring timely, compassionate interventions.

Our community partners have echoed this sentiment.

“The toolkit really serves as a foundation for consistency and alignment across programs, helping ensure we’re collecting and reviewing information in a structured and uniform way. I also think it supports evidence-based decision-making by translating data into actionable insights—allowing you to identify trends, resource gaps, and areas of success rather than relying solely on anecdotal input.”

-Representative from the Washoe County Department of Juvenile Services

This alignment across systems strengthens collaboration and improves outcomes for justice-involved youth and their families. As Co-Author Elisha expressed, “The consistent utilization of this toolkit transforms awareness into action. It bridges the gap between systems and services, ensuring that no young person facing homelessness falls through the cracks.”

Utilizing this toolkit is more than a process; it’s a commitment to changing lives, every time we use it to connect a young person to resources, we open the door to opportunity, dignity, and hope. By bringing the toolkit off the shelf and into practice, partners can identify vulnerable youth earlier, connect families to housing and wraparound services faster, and reduce the likelihood of court involvement driven by economic hardship.

The NCJFCJ remains committed to ensuring that the lessons learned through research and practice inform national efforts to better serve children and families in crisis. The power of application, turning research and innovation into action, is what ultimately drives meaningful change, giving our youth the stability, safety, and opportunity they deserve.

The National Center for State Courts‘ Institute for Court Management is excited to announce the development of a new, innovative e-learning course designed to educate and inspire state and local court employees. This approximately 3-hour online self-study course is tailored primarily for new hires and aims to address a critical gap in understanding the essential role courts play in our civil society. Court leaders nationwide have emphasized that many new employees lack a clear grasp of the significance of their work, which can lead to job dissatisfaction and higher turnover rates. This course seeks to change that by establishing a baseline of knowledge for court staff across the country.

Through interactive modules, participants will explore the purpose of courts, the rights and responsibilities of citizens interacting with them, and how courts differ from other branches of government. The course will also highlight how every role within the courts contributes to their overall mission, fostering a sense of purpose and pride in public service.

Developed in consultation with court leaders and judicial educators nationwide, this free resource will be available to all state and local courts in early 2026. It will serve as an invaluable tool for onboarding and professional development, not only for court employees but also for staff in related roles, such as probation offices. By equipping employees with foundational knowledge and emphasizing the importance of their contributions, this course will enhance workforce effectiveness and strengthen public trust and confidence in the courts.

The Nebraska Administrative Office of the Courts and Probation has collaborated with local trial judges, attorneys, and court staff to pilot a court-based Self-Help Center in Douglas County (Omaha, Nebraska). The first of its kind in Nebraska, this self-help center is located in the courthouse and provides on-site access to computers, printers, and legal resources during regular courthouse hours. The self-help center is supported by trained court staff who assist self-represented litigants (SRLs) by explaining court rules and procedures, providing public information about case dockets and calendars, and directing patrons to available court forms and legal information. Preliminary survey data captured from patrons using the Douglas County Self-Help Center is positive, with 84% responding that they received the help they needed. The most frequent requests involve assistance with court forms, explaining court processes, and printing documents.

A key component of this project involved identifying the civil case types with consistently high numbers of SRLs, and developing case packets that include step-by-step instructions, plain language court forms, and basic guidelines on how to present evidence and testimony in court. These case packets will be available in both English and Spanish and will be housed on the Nebraska Supreme Court’s public website where they can be accessed by court users and court staff statewide. Translation of the case packets is provided by court interpreter partners using a scaffolded process developed by the Director of Language Access that has the potential to positively impact courtrooms statewide. 

“The law promises ‘equal justice’ in the courts. However, many self-represented litigants feel frustrated with the legal process because they are unaware of all the legal practices and procedures required. The self-help center is designed to provide guidance and education to those who represent themselves as they navigate legal filings, court appearances, and presenting evidence. Both litigants and the courts benefit when the process is understood, and expectations are met.“

-Judge Stephanie Hansen, County Court, Douglas County

“We’re using translation projects as a strategic tool for skill building—giving interpreters the opportunity to deepen their vocabulary, refine their writing, and engage critically with legal concepts in both languages. It’s a meaningful form of professional development that strengthens their work in the courtroom.“

-Kathleen Valle, Director of Language Access

The National Center for State Courts, in cooperation with the ABA Commission on Law and Aging (COLA) and the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) created technology and data standards for court case management systems for guardianship and conservatorship cases. Most case management systems are designed to track cases from filing to disposition. However, courts are required to monitor guardianship and conservatorship cases for as long as the guardianship or conservatorship is in place.

NCSC, ABA-COLA, and NDRN brought together a group of subject matter experts from around the country to discuss what courts need to effectively monitor the well-being and financial assets of those subject to guardianship or conservatorship. These experts included guardians, subject matter experts from state administrative offices of the courts, representatives from local courts, CMS vendors, and attorneys. The group used reviews of existing CMS systems, surveys, and focus groups to develop detailed user stories to describe the needs of judicial officers, court staff, guardians and conservators, and those subject to guardianship and conservatorship. These user stories were the basis for new standards.

The standards were approved by the National Association of Court Management (NACM), the Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA) and the Joint Technology Committee (JTC) and are now official court technology standards. They, along with supplemental materials, can be viewed here.

The new standards were shared at the 2024 eCourts conference and in two webinars, found here: Maximizing Your CMS for Effective Guardianship Oversight and Innovative Guardianship Improvements – Enhancing Electronic Systems to Better Support Court Monitoring.

For more information on monitoring guardianships and conservatorships, please visit here.

What if families facing a crisis could receive support before entering the court system?  In 2019, the National Center for State Courts received funding to identify promising practices in state and local courts that aim to prevent removal through non-adversarial collaborative team approaches and timely access to treatment and services. The Family Preservation Initiative (FPI) in Rutherford County, Tennessee was one of the standout programs identified.

FPI transforms how communities support families by intervening before circumstances escalate to court involvement.  When families experience challenges likely to result in a juvenile court petition, FPI staff step in to build relationships, learn about each family’s unique strengths and needs, and connect them to resources and services. This individualized approach keeps children safely with their families while providing the entire family with the support needed to overcome obstacles.

Referrals come from law enforcement, schools, community organizations, and families themselves.  Families involved in FPI are not under court supervision; however, the court’s backbone support for the program helps build and sustain community partnerships essential for its success.  By intervening early, FPI prevents family separation, minimizes trauma, and provides crucial support when families need it most. The documentary, “Together We Thrive: Championing Prevention Efforts with Tennessee’s Family Preservation Initiative,” offers a powerful look at FPI through the eyes of the families and professionals involved in the program.  Their stories demonstrate how family-centered and prevention-focused approaches can create positive changes for children, families, and communities.

“What we really hope is that this would become the new norm, that this wouldn’t be just a pilot or a program or in a few places dotted around the county. But this would become the way that people want to intervene much sooner so that children never become part of the system.” 

-Deborah Taylor Tate, Former Director, Tennessee Administrative Office of Courts