Future Surveys

While we were able to conduct some surveys this year to learn more about the impact of self-represented parties on Court resources, we know that we still need more information. Most importantly, we need to survey the self-represented parties seeking access to the Court. Designing this survey has been more difficult than most. First of all, at least 50 percent of our self-represented parties do not appear personally at the Court, either to file a case or in response to an Order to Show Cause. Those that do often do not speak English fluently or are in a hurry. We continue to explore ways of gathering more information from the people seeking Court services.

Table of Contents (Download Report)

• Introduction
• What Do We Know About Self-Represented Parties in our Court?
• How Many Self-Represented Parties Are There?
• Measuring Success
• Language Barriers
• Bankruptcy Petition Preparers
• Income Levels
• Literacy Issues
• Self-Represented Creditors
• Court Resources and the Impact of Large Numbers of Self-Represented Litigants
• Debtor ID Program
• Current Programs and Services for the Self-Represented
• The Court’s Website
• Personal Assistance from Court Staff
• Easy to Understand Forms and Instructions
• Assistance from Volunteers and Nonprofit Organizations
• Honor Roll
• Recruitment and Training of Volunteers
• Funding Sources for Non-Court Services
• Current Projects “Under Construction”
• Pathfinder Electronic Filing Project
• Proof of Service
• Video Instruction
• Future Surveys
• Call Center/Internet Live Chat
• Goals/Conclusion
• Exhibits