- The Court published its first annual report on the district’s pro se litigants. The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the Central District’s large self-represented population, measurements of that population’s impact on the Court, and an overview of the services and programs that assist pro se parties throughout the district.
- In June, the Court hosted the nation’s first Federal Court Power Lunch, a program in which high school students meet judges and lawyers to learn about the law and the legal system. A second lunch also took place in October.
- The Court continued to test the pro se case filing module, “electronic Self-Representation” (eSR). eSR is scheduled to go live in 2013. Once eSR goes live, self-represented debtors will have a user-friendly, web-based application to submit bankruptcy petitions and related documents.
- Three foreign delegations visited the Los Angeles Division in order to learn about American bankruptcy law and practice. The Court welcomed judges from the Shandong province of China, bankruptcy officials from the Ukraine, and members of the Academic and Legal Affairs Division of Thailand.
- The Court continued to utilize social media to disseminate information to the public using its Twitter and YouTube accounts. The Court’s Twitter account provides real-time updates including public notices and announcements of estate sales, while the YouTube channel features English and Spanish-language educational videos on bankruptcy.
- In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, employees in the Central District contributed over $4,700 to the American Red Cross’s disaster relief efforts through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). Court staff also reached out to members of our court family who were affected by the storm with a video entitled “California Central Bankruptcy Cares.”
- The Center of Excellence for Employee Engagement organized a school supply drive held in all five divisions during September. The Central District collected over 40 large boxes of school supplies, which were donated to School on Wheels.
