Civil justice issues are a common problem for many Americans. From dealing with family issues such as divorce and child custody to responding to lawsuits, the complexities involve issues normally requiring the assistance of a lawyer. However, according to various studies, 80 to 90 percent of those in low-income brackets facing civil legal problems never receive that essential legal assistance. In fact, Risa Kaufman, a Columbia law professor, calls the lack of access to legal assistance a “human rights crisis.”
Washington State’s Limited License Legal Technicians Concept
In a bold and creative attempt to address this issue, Washington is the first state in the nation to introduce an innovative solution. Called the Limited License Legal Technician (LLLT) program, this legislation borrows a concept from the medical profession. When the medical community faced a similar crisis in the 1970’s, additional provider roles were created. Now, providers such as Nurse practitioners commonly help ensure broader access to health care by taking on many of the basic procedures normally performed by an M.D. ARNP’s operate independently and efficiently to clear out the backlog of more common medical issues in many practices and areas.
Similarly, the LLLT helps clients with a number of routine but vital legal needs. They can assist clients in conducting legal research, filing court documents, and responding to legal filings from others. According to the executive director of the Washington State Bar Association, Paula Littlewood, “(The LLLT program) will save time and heartache. It’s groundbreaking.
Addressing a Growing Problem
Accessing affordable legal assistance is an increasingly challenging problem for the poor and those with limited to moderate incomes. The hourly rates for lawyers are often out of reach for those of moderate means. Additionally, the traditional resources for these families, primarily legal aid offices, are losing funding, limiting services, and closing in many areas.
To counter this trend, the Washington state created the limited license legal technician profession. The program is currently only available in the area of family law, but is expected to expand to other areas of law in the future. An individual pursuing this license must have a paralegal degree from an ABA approved law school, unless the prospective LLLT qualifies under the limited time waiver. The waiver allows those with substantial legal experience a time limited opportunity to apply for the LLLT program based on their work history.
Additionally, a LLLT must complete roughly a year of special classes at an approved university or community college and take a licensing exam. Upon passing and completing at least 3,000 hours of substantive law related work experience supervised by a lawyer (the 3,000 hours must be within 3 years before or after passing the exam), they are able to work independently with clients. By saving potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal education costs, these LLLTs are able to charge significantly lower fees for their work.
The concept of the LLLT program has created a lot of discussion among the legal community – both negative and positive. Despite the expected resistance, the American Bar Association itself recommended in the final report of its 2014 Task Force on the Future of Legal Education, that states consider licensing “persons other than holders of a JD to deliver limited legal services.” The entire concept is now under review by the ABA’s Commission on the Future of Legal Services.
The success of this program is being followed closely by many in California, New Mexico, Oregon, Colorado, and other states. Seen as a potentially trans-formative way to provide necessary legal assistance, this program may spread rapidly throughout the country.
a state license.
Judge Contreras and continue their case via appeals and contacting D.C. lawmakers. The retired officers continue to assert that they are being denied a right they have earned as former law enforcement officers, and will seek remedy through any available Avenue.
matter”. The department’s attorney claims that he lost his job for failure to act. The department that fired him unofficially claimed that they did so because of the case against former officer Skeeter Manos, who was arrested for stealing memorial funds set aside for families of officers slain in 2009.
spoken up for Manos during his investigation in his role as union president. Whether it was his sexual orientation, behavior on the job, or outspoken role as union president, he made some enemies high up in the department. When the information all came to light in the lawsuit, it seemed better for some to settle.
In the lawsuit filed on April 7, 2015, the former executives allege that BNSF turned their business into a train wreck when BNSF gave preference to oil and coal trains destined for the Pacific Northwest. In the lawsuit, Cold Train maintained that, in reliance on its agreement with BNSF, it ordered more refrigerated rail cars and even entered into an agreement with a purchaser to buy the company. According to 
BNSF was making so much money shipping coal and oil, that it didn’t have sufficient space for the Cold Train containers.
rights lawyer Gloria Allred is involved. In a news conference, Allred announced her client’s merciless taunting, proclaiming her a victim of bullying both online and in her Florida community.
violence against his ex-wife, some seven instances of domestic abuse, make his on-air actions a bit precarious.
On February 25, 2014, Mrs. Collas of West Chester, Pennsylvania found her two-year-old son, Curren, unresponsive in his room. Curren was trapped between his overturned IKEA MALM chest of drawers and his bed with the full weight of the dresser on his chest. The boy died later that morning at Paoli Hospital. Since Curren’s death, Collas has begun the web site 
The Colasses’ dresser and other similar products, unanchored, represent a significant hazard especially to young children like Curren who are naturally curious. According to the complaint, “the IKEA defendants were aware of a tip-over hazard arising from falling vertical dressers and other furniture. According to estimates from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 43,000 consumers are injured each year in tip-over incidents, with more than 25,000 of those injuries to children under the age of 18.” With these statistics, it leaves one wondering why anchoring hardware is not included with these products.
According to the lawsuit, the accuser, who agreed to be named, suffered abuse at the hands of Cody after a psychiatrist identified him as a pedophile. The lawsuit alleged that the church knew that he had already molested eight other children, all of which who were under the age of 18. The archbishop at the time sent Cody to receive treatment, but he was allowed to come back to the church, even though the parish knew he was still a danger to children. For Hubbard, the abuse began in 1967 and continued for the next five years.
the previously resolved cases have been settled out of court. Interestingly, Hubbard could have settled her case earlier, but refused to do so until the Archdiocese admitted to moving a sexual predator into the community.
As reported by 
Since that time, the boy has grown to be an adult man. He claims in the lawsuit to suffer from depression, anger, and that the memories of the haunting experience of sexual abuse as a child led him to destroy his life with substance abuse.
Christopher Monfort is a 46 year-old man accused of killing a Seattle police officer in 2009. He is also facing accusations that he attempted to kill other officers with various weapons such as pipe bombs and fires. He has been described by the state as a violent extremist who was attempting to start a war with the Seattle Police Department. His trial began in January and is expected to conclude soon.
The prosecutors are attempting to discredit the notion that Monfort was motivated by delusions, arguing that, “although he is not normal, he is not necessarily insane.” The state consulted with their own mental health expert witness, university professor Ronald Schouten, and attempted to undermine the credibility of defense witness Cunningham. Senior Deputy Prosecutor Jeff Baird described Cunningham as a “professional witness” who gave unclear answers and cherry-picked evidence in order to make his diagnosis. The prosecution noted that, based on discrepancies concerning Monfort’s attitude before and after the killing, the defense was unable to show when Monfort became delusional.
R. Bruce Dye is a well-known Fort Wayne entrepreneur who has founded several companies, notably Heritage Food Service Group, Inc., and Hotel Fitness. According to state records, Dye is one of the top donors to the Indiana State Republican Party, having donated hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent election cycles. He was first the defendant in a sexual abuse lawsuit by Kathy Gonya, Dye’s former executive assistant at his company, Brigadoon Financial, Inc. dba Brigadoon Fitness. Gonya filed the suit in late 2014, after claiming she was terminated from the company due to reporting incidences of sexual abuse and misconduct. Dye filed a counter suit to combat the allegations claiming that he and Gonya shared a consensual sexual relationship for several years.
According to the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, Lahr’s current suit accuses Dye himself of assault and battery, and his company Brigadoon Financial of negligent supervision and training, negligent retention, breach of contract, sexual harassment, and sexual retaliation. Lahr is also alleging that Dye groped her and attempted to enter her hotel room by force while they were on a business trip together in New Orleans.