Legal Education for the Pro Se Litigant: A Step Towards a Meaningful Right to Be Heard

Abstract

The right to be heard has little value, however, to those who lack the knowledge to exercise their right in a meaningful or skillful way. The notion of a meaningful right to be heard has been linked to access to counsel. 3 In Powell v. Alabama, the Supreme Court noted, "[t]he right to be heard would be, in many cases, of little avail if it did not comprehend the right to be heard by counsel. Even the intelligent and educated layman has small and sometimes no skill in the science of law." ' Several commen-I. See 28 U.S.C. § 1654 (1982) ("parties may plead and conduct their own cases personally or by counsel"). 2. In some states, the right to be heard is defined explicitly in terms of a right to prosecute or defend in person. See, e.g., At.A. CONST. art. I, § 10 ("no person shall be barred from prosecuting or defending before any tribunal in this state, by himself or counsel, any civil cause to which he is a party"); GA. CONS'r. art I, para. XII; MiCaH. CONS-r. art. I, § 13; Miss. CONST. art. 3, § 25; UTAH CoNSr. art I, § 11; WIs. CONSr. art I, § 21(2). In other states, the right to prosecute or defend in person arises by statute.

Frontier Justice: Legal Aid and UNHCR Refugee Status Determination in Egypt

“…The movement for limited legal services has been fuelled by demonstrations in some contexts that it can make a substantial impact in increasing unrepresented peoples' chances of achieving their legal objectives. For instance, one study found that tenants who had short counselling sessions with paralegals fared better in landlord-tenant disputes than uninformed, unrepresented tenants (Kim 1987(Kim : 1642).…”

Nanostructured layered copper hydroxy dodecyl sulfate: A potential fire retardant for poly(vinyl ester) (PVE)

“…Polymer/clay nanocomposites have been shown to provide enhancements in physical properties of polymers such as increased tensile strength, tensile modulus, flexural strength, thermal stability, and corrosion protection owing to their structural morphology [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14], [15] and [16]. Recently several classes of synthetic inorganic/organic compounds structurally similar to natural smectite clays have emerged as potential fire retardants [17], [18], accessed by following the link in the citation at the bottom of the page.…”

Academic Law Library Web Sites

“…At least one commentator has argued that law librarians have such a duty as part of their ethical obligation to provide access to justice. 108 The AALL Bylaws and Ethical Principles are not law. The ABA Model Rules are not compulsory in the sense that failure to provide services would constitute grounds for disbarment or suspension.…”

“…In fact, this denial of access is so complete that it is argued that classes should be provided to teach pro se litigants. 55 In many states, this relaxation of the definition of what constitutes the practice of law has been codified. For example, in the State of Washington, the courts have a rule that allows law librarians, among others, to be exempt from the state licensing rules.…”