AOC April 2010 On Balance Message from the Director More than six months have passed since I came to the AOC as direc- tor. During these times of challenge and change, I have made it my goal to help chart a new course for judi- cial administration in Georgia. While I am mindful of the strengths Marla S. Moore and weaknesses of the agency's past, I have in mind a more cooperative future for all the groups and agencies that make up the judicial branch. I believe the present moment is too dangerous to waste our energy, our resources and our political capital engaged in turf battles within the court system. We can best serve the people of Georgia by working together for system improvements--if not in agreement, at least in an atmosphere of mutual respect and candid communication. My goal as director is to begin to build trust, to open avenues of communication, and to establish standards of professionalism at the AOC that can be relied upon to fos- ter cooperation. During the 2010 legislative session, the AOC has hosted a weekly meeting of key staff members for the judges' councils, appellate courts and lobbyists from the State Bar and other groups to share information. My hope is that this group will mark a new beginning in working together to present a united front for the issues facing the judicial branch. In the past our public disagreements have done little to enhance our prestige with the Governor and members of the General Assembly. The AOC's legislative agenda is to promote a judiciary united by its determina- tion to meet the challenges of these tight budgetary times. A more cooperative future for the judicial branch must be nourished and actively cultivated. I ask for your support, patience and commitment to help this effort take root and flourish. State of the Judiciary Notes Submitted by Crystal Johnson On March 16, 2010 Chief Justice Carol Hunstein gave her first state of the judiciary before a joint session of the state Legislature. Chief Justice Hunstein addressed the audience with a view to lifting the figurative "veil" that can sometimes obscure the functions of the Judiciary from those it serves. Justice Hunstein provided an insightful review on the vital duties of Georgia's five classes of courts. The mission of the Judiciary to impartially interpret the laws of the United States and the State of Georgia, and its functions are critical to the public well being. The Judicial Council, along with agencies like the AOC, provides essential support to Georgia's judicial system. Though the entire nation is feeling the effects of the economy, the impact on Georgia's judicial system is particularly severe. Shortfalls are receiving national attention as even the media acknowledges that the "wheels of justice are turning more slowly" in Georgia. Tragically, those hardest hit are the state's most vulnerable. Though Georgia's judiciary is a significant source of revenue for the state, with a Supreme Court recognized as the most productive in the country and DUI and Drug Courts that provide a model for the rest of the country, Chief Justice Hunstein revealed that in 2009 the judicial branch received less than eight-tenths of 1 percent of total state appropriations. This in the face of increasing caseloads and state needs. Georgia's courts have shared the burden of state budget cuts with critical staff being laid-off, Judges voluntarily taking furlough days, law libraries closing and even one County's court having to close a day each month. Georgia is faced with the threat of criminal prosecutions being halted, child support and child custody issues left undecided and business disputes left unresolved. At this moment, the judiciary faces a crossroads as budget reductions make it increasingly difficult to function and to meet constitutionally mandated obligations. Cold Case Project Fellows Recognized by J4C Submitted by Michelle Barclay On Friday March 26, 2010 the Grayson and Tammy Griner who serve as Special AOC and Supreme Court of Assistant Attorneys General were Senior Fellows to the Georgia Committee on Justice Cold Case Project and provided technical assistance. for Children (J4C) staff recog- The Fellows themselves represent a mix of agency nized the eleven Fellows who (Special Assistant Attorneys General), parent, and child worked on the Cold Case attorneys. Ashley Willcott, a Special Assistant Attorney Project. This year long project, General, is the Cold Case Project's leader. The Fellows Michelle Barclay launched April 1, 2009, reviewed 214 children's foster have made periodic presentations at the Committee on Justice for Children meetings and at training opportu- care cases in 45 Georgia counties. Using a statistically nities around the state about their work. A paper predictive model, the project focused on children who about the work is currently being written and will be have been in foster care for at least 2 years and who published by the J4C Committee. Applied Research appeared to be aging out Services (ARS), an Atlanta of foster care without based company specializing attaining permanency. in criminal justice and policy The purpose of the proj- development, is the project ect was to make sure that evaluator. Already, many all the proper legal areas of needed improvement requirements were met for have been identified: includ- these children's cases, to ing uniform relative search see if all permanency documentation; better docu- options had been explored mentation of "compelling and to prepare for the upcoming federal Child Cold Case Fellows and staff at the March 26 meeting. reasons" (a required evidentiary finding for some cases); and Family Services Review. and more documentation of the child's true engage- The Cold Case Project was sponsored by the ment of his/her permanency plan among others. Committee on Justice for Children in full partnership At a lunch for the Fellows, they were presented and support with the Georgia Division of Family and with a certificate signed by Supreme Court Justice Children Services and the Georgia Office of the Child Harris Hines, Chairman of the Supreme Court Advocate. The Cold Case Fellows were: Patricia Ketch Committee on Justice for Children. Millicent Buonodono; Melinda Cowan; Rachel Davidson; Darice Houston, representing the Division of Family and Good; Karlise Y. Grier; Diana Rugh Johnson; Trn Children Services, was present as was Beth Locker from Lankford; Dorothy Murphy; Brooke Silverthorn; Leslie Voices for Georgia's Children, Tammy Meredith from Stewart; and Ashley Willcott. Additionally, Robert ARS in addition to AOC staff. 2 On Balance New Caseload Reporting Tool Submitted by Kevin Tolmich and Justin Brady The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) is constantly developing new and innovative products and services to help the courts. The latest product is called the AOC Portal. Each year trial courts are contacted to provide certain case information filed in their courts https://myaocportal.georgiacourts.gov/login.html during the previous calendar year. The process of gathering this information involves a great deal of time and expense for both the clerks and the AOC. AOC Division of Planning and Research sees first hand the large amount of time, effort and expenses (paper, postage, etc.) it takes the courts in supplying the AOC with caseload data. Getting accurate and timely data submissions is critical for caseload analysis and studies On Balance 3 related to the advancement of the judiciary in Georgia. The Judicial Council and AOC use the provided caseload data in the development of new judicial policies, to support or oppose proposed legislation, and efforts to obtain additional judicial resources such as the superior court judges. The Portal was developed ease the burden of courts while still allowing the AOC to obtain the needed data. The Division of Planning and Research worked closely with the IT Division to create a more economical and efficient solution for gathering and validating data that is submitted by creating a special AOC website on the Internet. The Portal is a tool that allows the courts to submit annual caseload totals on-line. So now, there is no need for the courts to mail or fax caseload forms and reports. The Portal is a secured website that enables assigned court personnel to submit and review caseload totals. The security will allow only designated individuals to see their own court's information. In addition, the Portal can also be used to update the contact information for the court. This includes job titles, mailing addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers for judges, clerks and other court staff. If you are interested in using the Portal, please contact Justin BradyAOC Planning and Research, 404463-6298 or justin.brady@gaaoc.us Research Team Meeting No need for conference rooms, here. Data Analysts Berneatha Hollingsworth, Jennifer Moore, and Pamela Dixon met with Justin Brady, Research & Statistical Associate, in an informal hallway meeting to discuss upcoming projects. Dublin Judicial Circuit Color of Justice Program Submitted by Tracy Powell On Saturday, February 20, the program's success in Chatham County in 2008. As 2010, the Committee on Access a representative of the Committee on Access and and Fairness in the Courts held Fairness in the Courts, Judge James F. Bass, Jr. the Color of Justice program in (Superior Court, Eastern Judicial Circuit) spoke to the the Dublin Judicial Circuit. The program's goals and merits and encouraged all students program was held at the Laurens to enjoy their experience. Throughout the day, stu- County Courthouse, and was dents rotated between the four panels to interact with hosted by Chief Judge H. Gibbs judges, attorneys, law students, and court administra- Tracy Powell Flanders (Superior Court, tors. These panels focused on the preparation, commit- Dublin Judicial Circuit). A total ment, and hard work required in college, law school, of 35 students from Laurens and Treutlen counties, and and work careers within the legal profession. Panelists city of Dublin schools, participated in the half day pro- shared their personal stories and professional experi- gram. ences. Categorized under the title "Law as a Career: The Color of Justice Preparing the Way" Program, created by the were the attorney and National Association of Women law student panels, Judges (NAWJ), is designed to with the judges and introduce students in middle court administrators and high school to the many under the heading career options available within "The Color of Justice: the legal and law-related profes- Making a Difference." sions. Through panel discus- Students asked varied sions and one-on-one conversa- questions of the pan- tions, judges, lawyers, law stu- elists, and some evalua- dents, and court administrators Judge H. Gibb Flanders, standing, welcomes students, panelists, tions even reflected share their personal stories and and staff to the Dublin Judicial Circuit Color of Justice Program. wishes for more time at professional experiences with each panel. The lunch- program participants. While the program targets eon, an opportunity for more one-on-one conversations female and minority students, an opportunity for par- between the students and panelists, was held in the ticipation is extended to the broader population of stu- Laurens County Commission building after the conclu- dents. Since 2006, the Program has been hosted at sites sion of the morning sessions. The discussion was ani- including Fannin, Chatham, Fulton, Dougherty, and mated throughout the hour-long gathering. The DeKalb counties. Rotary Club of Dublin, Georgia, generously sponsored The program was organized into three segments the luncheon as part of its commitment to local youth morning panel rotation, luncheon, afternoon panel education. rotation bookended by short opening and closing ses- The Dublin Judicial Circuit was overwhelmingly sions. During the opening session, Judge Flanders represented in the group of panelists, which achieved delivered introductory remarks and welcomed the stu- the goal of creating an event that was very local and dents and other attendees. Judge Tammy Stokes community-oriented. The entire attorney panel con- (Recorder's Court of Chatham County), as a representa- sisted of attorneys from the District Attorney's office, as tive of the National Association of Women Judges well as several in private practice. The Clerk of (NAWJ), followed, giving a brief history of NAWJ and continued next page 4 On Balance On Balance 5 Superior Court, the Victim-Witness Assistance an honest answer." Students finished the program feel- Director, Judicial Staff Attorney, and a local Court ing inspired and motivated to achieve their goals, many Reporter sat on the Court Administrators panel. Along sharing on their evaluations that they will think more with Chief Judge Flanders, Judge Stanley Smith seriously about going to law school and pursuing (Superior Court, Dublin Judicial Circuit) sat on the careers in this field. In addition, all panelists shared judge's panel. District Attorney Craig Fraser attended very positive reviews about their experience participat- the opening session, and delivered some encouraging ing in the program. remarks for the students to A dedicated group of consider as they met with AOC staff helped make the various panels. Local this event possible. attorneys volunteered as LaShawn Murphy, Patricia Group Leaders to escort Gavel, Jill Radwin and each group of students Ashley Stollar contributed throughout the day. This to all phases of the pro- added to great sense of com- gram, from pre-planning munity already created by to post-program wrap-up. the number of panelists LaShawn, Patricia, and Jill local to the area. each served as a moderator The student evaluations overwhelmingly rated the program either a 4 or a 5 Members of the Court Administrator panel discuss the roles that they play in the judicial system during the Saturday event in Dublin. to individual panels, Ashley was on hand to take photographs, and Chris (on a scale of 1-5). Students valued the opportunity to Patterson represented the AOC on the panel of Court talk with judges and attorneys, and were interested to Administrators. The judges and court staff were happy learn about how the justice system works and how to work with representatives of the AOC, and we were courts operate. Illustrating the value of the opportunity able to provide information about the mission and to meet in a small group setting with the panelists, one work of the agency. student commented "when we asked a question we got AOC Contact List Can't find the sticky note with Chris Patterson's phone number on it? Really need to e-mail Randy Dennis to check on something? Can't remember if you talked to Ashley Garner or Ashley Stollar (see pic at right), but you're pretty sure it was the one that works with CMPAC and not that pesky one with the camera? Our website (www.georgiacourts.gov/contactus) features a dynamic contact list that will get you connected with whomever you need to speak to within the Administrative Office of the Courts. The alphabetical list features the name, title, department, e-mail address, and phone number for each AOC employee. It is updated regularly to reflect personnel and contact changes. Ashley Garner, in yellow and black, works for CMPAC; Ashley Stollar, in black and yellow, is the pesky photographer. Elder Law Training Initiative Submitted by Tracy Powell On Thursday, June 10, the Equal Justice Commission (consisting of the Committee on Access and Fairness in the Courts and the Committee on Civil Justice), with the Institute for Continuing Legal Education, will host a training seminar for volunteer attorneys in the subject area of Elder Law. Through data collected as part of the 2007/2008 Georgia Legal Needs Study and from the Georgia Senior Legal Hotline (a project of Atlanta Legal Aid Society), it is clear Georgia's seniors face many barriers to access to the courts, especially in regards to consumer, kinship care and benefits, and probate issues. The focus of the program will be training on these issues with the intent to provide first- line assistance for more simple cases. The volunteer attorneys will work with the supervision and assistance of Georgia Legal Services Program and Atlanta Legal Aid Society. Attendees will be asked to fill out a full profile, including which county/counties they are willing to volunteer; this information will be maintained by the two legal services providers, who will refer cases to each attorney based on subject area and location. As the training will be focused on garnering support for pro bono representation, there will be no cost for registration, but the attendees will be asked to pledge to take on a minimum of two pro bono cases within the next year. The program will consist of six hours of Continuing Legal Education, including one credit hour of professionalism, and will include sessions on: the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, simple contract law, the probate process, advanced directives and power of attorney, heir property, and common kinship care issues. The professionalism hour will address the importance of pro bono representation and employing professionalism when working with seniors. Attendees will also hear a presentation on the collaboration among Georgia's Aging Network. Speakers will include judges, private attorneys, and representatives from Georgia Legal Services Program, Atlanta Legal Aid Society, and Georgia Appleseed. While attendance at the Mercer location on June 10 will be limited to only 80 participants, a second seminar will be held on Friday, June 25 at the Gilmer County Courthouse. The same agenda will be taught at this location, and six Continuing Legal Education credits will also be available. At this north Georgia location, attendance will be limited to only thirty persons. Since attendance will be limited at both locations, it is imperative that only those who pledge to take at least two pro bono cases during the upcoming year attend. The long term goal of this initiative (dependent on the identification of a funding source) is to establish Senior Legal Centers around the state that seniors could access to seek first line assistance. In courts where a Family Law Information Center is already established, the senior legal center may be attached or combined. In the meantime, the June 10 training will provide a solid foundation to bring the focus to this area of need and, hopefully, increase the number of attorneys in Georgia willing to volunteer their time to assist our senior citizens. Providing First Line Legal Assistance to Seniors Through Pro Bono Representation Attorney Training Seminar Thursday, June 10, 2010 9:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. Mercer University Walter F. Georgia School of Law Contact: Jill Radwin jill.radwin@gaaoc.us Tracy Powell tracy.powell@gaaoc.us Providing First Line Legal Assistance to Seniors Through Pro Bono Representation--Attorney Training Seminar Friday, June 25, 2010 9:00 am 4:00pm Gilmer County Courthouse Contact: Jill Radwin jill.radwin@gaaoc.us Tracy Powell tracy.powell@gaaoc.us 6 On Balance On Balance 7 Day on the Bench: from the Gold Dome to the Courtroom Submitted by Christopher Causey The Day on the Bench program is designed to give leg- understanding of what happens in the courtroom, a islators a first-hand experience of what a judge does and relationship with judges they can build on, and an how courtrooms operate. The AOC and Cobb County appreciation of the work performed by judges. Many State Court piloted the program in November 2009. of the legislators who participated in Cobb County The Cobb County State have talked to Court Judges invited their their colleagues legislative delegation to their about the pro- courthouse to watch them in gram and what action. a great experi- The day started with a ence it was for briefing of what to expect for them. the day from Judge David It is our hope Darden. The packed agenda that throughout had legislators moving from this summer courtroom to courtroom every 20 minutes to view a different judge and a differ- Day on the Cobb County Bench participants, including judges, legislators, and staff. and fall many courts will participate in the ent court calendar legislators visited every courtroom, Day on the Bench program. The Administrative Office they joined judges and other court personnel for lunch. of the Court has created a how-to template which can During lunch judges entertained questions from legisla- be found on the website at tors regarding court operations and discussed pressing http://w2.georgiacourts.org/legislatorportal/ legislative issues. The Administrative Office of the Courts is also a After lunch, the Sheriff 's Office transported the valuable resource to assist in planning and implementa- legislators to the county jail to observe court hearings tion of the Day on the Bench Program. held at the jail. The event ended around 1:30 p.m. For more information on the Day on the Bench with many of the legislators lingering afterward to dis- Program, contact Christopher Causey at cuss the events of the day. Legislators left with a good christopher.causey@gaaoc.us AOC Publishes Several Reports The AOC has recently published several reports to www.georgiacourts.gov: Annual Report: Georgia Courts FY 09: Find valuable information about the structure of Georgia's judiciary, the work of the Judicial Council, Administrative Office of the Courts initiatives, and caseload data for all classes of court. Felony Docket Study: a study to determine the com- position of the felony docket objectively; Alternative Dispute Resolution Study: a study that compared the number of days from filing to disposition for selected cases assigned to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) with a similar number of cases assigned to traditional case management; AOC Activity Summary: How we made a difference in 2009. Customer Surveys Gain Momentum in Georgia Submitted by Christopher Patterson A small but growing number of Georgia trial courts have traversed beyond traditional boundaries associated with the fair dispensation of justice, and have taken interest in assessing the customer experience. Perhaps it is part of a greater effort to operate courts that are more accessible, easier to understand and simpler to use; perhaps it is an approach to support budget requests or target resources in areas of concern to customers; or maybe it is to gauge how well court services stack up in an era of increased customer expectations. Perhaps it is because organizations of every stripe are soliciting feedback about products and support services; or maybe it can be attributed to a collective action plan to gain, build and restore public trust and confidence in judicial institutions. Perhaps it is a result of all these factors, but one thing is certain courts stand to benefit from administering customer surveys for number of reasons. Until recent years, court leaders have not had a practical, balanced and objective method for assessing customer satisfaction. With the advent of CourTools 1 Access and Fairness survey, developed by the National Center for State Courts, the daunting challenge of evaluating certain aspects of service delivery was remedied. Straightforward and easy to use, the instrument gauges court user perceptions in areas of procedural fairness and access to court services. The survey is administered as an exit opinion poll directed at attorneys, litigants, jurors and visitors on a typical day of court. Court users are asked to take a few minutes to complete the survey while the experience is fresh in their mind. Opinions are expressed by responding to 15 statements using a 5 point Likert scale, ranging from "Strongly disagree" to "Strongly agree." Participants are advised not to identify themselves so as to ensure anonymity; they are also assured participation will in no way impact the outcome of their business with the court. With assistance from the AOC, an increasing number of judges have been willing to brave the experience of being judged by stakeholders. In February last year AOC staff, working in collaboration with the Council of Municipal Court Judges, piloted the CourTools 1 survey at three municipal courts and one Recorder's AOC Staffers LaShawn Murphy and Yolanda Mashburn administer customer surveys at the DeKalb County Recorder's Court. court. Since that time, the questionnaire has been administered at nine other trial courts, including three municipal, two Recorder's and seven probate courts. AOC Court Services personnel ensured survey participants were afforded a non-threatening environment within the court lobby area to judge how well service delivery met expectations. Later, staff from AOC's Planning and Research Division provided assistance with data processing and statistical analysis. Within a few weeks staff delivered a final report to the requesting judge for internal use. Survey results are neither published for public inspection, nor utilized for cross-court comparison. The survey has also been administered at local courts without assistance from the agency. According to the National Center for State Courts information derived from the customer survey can be useful to court leaders for several reasons. First, the results paint a realistic picture of public's perception of how the court is performing, thereby allowing court leaders to validate or disprove service delivery assumptions. Second, the survey provides decision makers with continued next page 8 On Balance On Balance 9 Have you heard about the Board of Court Reporting of the Judicial Council of Georgia? Submitted by Matthew Kloiber Each year, the Board's staff process certificate renewals contact our office at 404-656-6422 or to view if a court for certified court reporters and annual registrations for reporter is suspended or a court reporting firm is inac- court reporting firms. tive, please visit our website, This year, the Board's www.georgiacourts.gov/ staff processed over 70% agencies/bcr of online renewal certifi- Are you having a hard time cates and annual regis- locating your desk underneath all trations before the April that paper? If so, I invite you to 1 deadline. There has join the Board of Court been an increase of Reporting in addition to other approximately 85% of divisions within the court reporters and Administrative Office of the court reporting firm uti- Courts to convert paper docu- lizing the online pay- A recent meeting of the Board of Court Reporting. ment system since 2008. ments into retrievable electronic files. The Board began its elec- The Board of Court tronic conversion in January Reporting encourages the members of the judiciary and 2010. It is our goal to perform daily automated process- all court personnel to verify the status of a court es expeditiously, and efficiently. This has resulted in reporter or registered court reporting firm. You may huge cost-savings to the daily operations of the Board. Customer Surveys Gain Momentum in Georgia cont. a capacity to identify and focus on areas of greatest importance to constituent groups. Third, the survey communicates desired outcomes, and therefore empowers court staff to devise creative means to achieve these outcomes. Fourth, hard data is an invaluable aide for preparing, justifying and presenting budgetary request, especially where personnel and technology enhancements are needed. Fifth, the survey permit courts to take lead in identifying primary responsibilities for which they can and should be held responsible. Sixth, the assessment serves as means for courts to demonstrate the value of services delivered. Finally, survey results establish a baseline from which the local court can chart progress in addressing areas that have caused concern and frustration for court users. In these difficult economic times, government entities at every level are being challenged to demonstrate efficacy and service value. Never has it been more important for courts to show themselves as user-friendly institutions. By conducting customer surveys, courts communicate an interest in improving services and achieving better outcomes from the viewpoint of court users. Additionally, the effort provides a tangible demonstration of accountability and improved business operations through measurement. All of this is to underscore that the growing interest in customer surveys is well placed. Hopefully, the momentum gained will not dissipate, but will find customer surveys embraced as an accepted practice at courts throughout the state and beyond.