The new year kicked off the second half of the two-year (California) Transcript Reimbursement Fund (TRF) Pro Per Pilot Project. With 73 requests remaining from 2011, staff immediately began processing applications with the new $30,000 allotment for the year.
There were 216 requests approved between January 1, 2011, and February 29, 2012. A total of 45 applications have been denied for being criminal cases or because the litigant retained an attorney or were returned as incomplete because of missing signatures, fee waivers, estimates or other information.
Every effort is made to remedy deficient applications when clarification is needed or the estimates have not been provided; however, this greatly increases the processing time for all applications since the fund is limited and requests are processed on a first-come, first-served basis.
As part of the addition of Business and Professions Code 8030.5, the Board was mandated to further publicize the availability of the TRF to qualified legal services projects, qualified support centers, and pro bono attorneys. These efforts were to be made utilizing existing resources and include outreach to the State Bar Association of California, the California Commission on Access to Justice, and the Legal Aid Association of California. With the restriction of travel and other expenditures, the Board was limited on the type of outreach available. An informational brochure was created and has been distributed at conventions, such as the State Bar Annual Meeting, the Beyond the Bench Family Law Conference, and the Northern California Pro Bono Regional Meeting. In addition to the mandated outreach, the California Court Reporters Association published an article in its CCRA Online newsletter in December 2011.
To date, approximately 114 vulnerable litigants have been assisted by the pro per pilot project who may not have been able to pursue their cases or appeals without the assistance of the TRF. And although demand clearly exceeds resources for the pro per fund, the TRF overall is being better utilized than in prior years and continues to be fiscally sound.
As required by the Business & Professions Code, the Board submitted a report to the Senate and Assembly Judiciary Committees on March 1, 2012, regarding the TRF and pro per pilot project. The subject is also of special interest to the Legislature in their oversight of the Board as a whole in the sunset review process. The Board awaits a decision from the Legislature on whether or not the pro per pilot project will be extended after January 1, 2013.
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