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'State of Judiciary' address focuses on improving access to justice in Utah

Posted at 4:28 PM, Jan 18, 2022
and last updated 2022-01-18 19:04:44-05

This year's "State of the Judiciary" address focused on Utah's access to justice crisis.

On Tuesday, Utah Supreme Court Chief Justice Matthew B. Durrant spoke about the advancements the state's court system has made to help underserved populations find affordable and easily accessible legal help.

These advancements include many free online services, such as MyCase, which gives people access to their case's documents. There is also an online dispute resolution program that helps people find resolutions to small claims lawsuits before getting the courts involved.

By the end of this month, 28 Utah justice courts will have access to this program. Durrant said the goal is for all small claims litigants to have access to the system by mid-2022.

Durrant also spoke about the Office of Legal Services Innovations, which works to find new and innovative ways to help eliminate the access to justice gap.