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Access to Courts

The availability of court-based services for all families and individuals across all case types regardless of physical, mental, psychological needs and/or cultural background.

Family-Centered  Fridays

AI Powered Chatbots (August 2024)

In this interactive episode of the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) Family-Centered Fridays webinar series, Access to Justice Technologist and University of Missouri-Kansas City Law Professor Ayyoub Ajmi, along with NCSC's Alicia Davis, demonstrate how AI chatbots can break down barriers to justice. Using scenarios involving divorce and protection orders, they illustrate the potential of AI to support court users.

Key takeaways include:
- How AI can facilitate family engagement in court processes
- Different types of chatbots and their roles, from navigation to connecting with community resources
- Insights into developing trauma-informed AI tools
- A live demo of an AI-powered chatbot, followed by a Q&A session covering privacy, confidentiality, and further applications for families

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Improving Access to Justice with Plain Language (May 2023)

Senior Court Management Consultant Lonni Summers led a discussion on NCSC’s Plain Language Glossary, a tool that presents plain language alternatives to legal term. In this session, Lonni explained the philosophy behind the Glossary and highlight how this tool can assist courts working to promote access to justice for families. Attendees had the opportunity to use the Glossary for themselves in an interactive activity, as well as assist in its expansion by suggesting new terms and sharing real-world examples.

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Alternative Court Hours and Expanding Access for Families (November 2023)

In this installment of the Family-Centered Fridays webinar series, Court Management Consultant Andy Wirkus explores NCSC's Alternative Court Hours Toolkit, uncovering the diverse benefits it offers to courts, users, and families. He also highlights different scenarios where alternative court hours help address common issues faced by courts and families.

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