Trial Court announces opening of fifth Court Service
Center
The Trial Court announced this week that Court Service Centers
are now operating in five courthouses across the state. The Trial
Court's hope is to locate one Court Service Center in each of the
state's 15 largest courthouses. The Court Service Centers are a key
part of the Trial Court's mission to help people who are
representing themselves in court to access the court system.
Court Service Centers provide resources to help members of the
public and self-represented litigants navigate the court system. It
is estimated that civil legal aid programs in Massachusetts turn
away more than 60 percent of indigent clients who are eligible for
civil legal aid and are seeking services due to a lack of adequate
funding. Court Service Centers are one way that the court system is
working to provide equal access to those who do not have attorneys.
Earlier this month, the National Center for Access to Justice
released its
2016 Justice Index, measuring how all fifty
states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico ensure equal
justice for all. The Massachusetts court system ranked second in
the nation overall, behind only the District of Columbia, and was
ranked second in services for people without lawyers, due to the
expansion of Court Service Centers across the state.
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Three chief probation officers appointed by Probation
Commissioner
New chief probation officers have been appointed by Commissioner
of Probation Edward J. Dolan to serve in three separate district
courts across the state: the Nantucket and Edgartown; Hingham; and
Clinton District courts.
Jennifer Pease, chief probation officer at the Nantucket and
Edgartown District Courts, began her new job this week. Hingham
District Court Chief Probation Officer Jennifer Brady has been on
the job for a month and Chief Patrick Ball of Clinton District
recently marked his two month anniversary in the position. The
three chiefs are among a group of 11 newly appointed chief
probation officers across the state.