{"id":2,"date":"2006-08-16T12:14:34","date_gmt":"2006-08-16T16:14:34","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2007-02-08T18:58:35","modified_gmt":"2007-02-08T22:58:35","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/shlep\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About shlep"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\" \/><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\" \/><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><font size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\" \/><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font 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size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\" \/><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><\/p>\n<div><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>We are proud and grateful that <em>shlep<\/em> was chosen \u201c<em>Best Law Blog In the Public Interest<\/em>&#8221; in the<a href=\"http:\/\/www.blawgreview.com\/2006\/12\/blawg-review-awards-2006.html\"> Blawg Review Awards 2006<\/a> (see our <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/shlep\/2006\/12\/25\/a-present-an-honor-and-a-nudge-from-blawg-review\/\">posting<\/a>, Dec. 25, 2006).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\">For\u00a0more than\u00a0two centuries, American consumers\u00a0have been <a href=\"http:\/\/dictionary.reference.com\/search?q=shlep&amp;r=66\"><em>shlepping<\/em><\/a> toward justice &#8212; they&#8217;ve been manacled to an expensive\u00a0lawyer in order to solve\u00a0a legal problem, or to assert or defend their rights.\u00a0 Our courts\u00a0have become\u00a0costly, complicated, lawyer-centered bureaucracies, rather than the accessible, client-centered dispute resolution centers they <a href=\"http:\/\/federalism.typepad.com\/crime_federalism\/2005\/01\/fedlabs_101_sma.html\">should<\/a> be.\u00a0 As a result, studies show <font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\">that 80% or more of the legal needs of the poor and working poor currently are unmet in the United States, while even solid members of the\u00a0middle class often cannot afford to hire a lawyer when a legal need arises.\u00a0\u00a0<\/font><\/font>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<div><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"61\" alt=\"ScalesRichPoor\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/shlep\/files\/2006\/08\/scales%20rich%20poor.jpg\" width=\"48\" \/>\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.uta.fi\/FAST\/US1\/REF\/yidgloss.html#sx\"><strong>shlep<\/strong><\/a> [ also &#8220;<em>schlep<\/em>&#8220;] &#8211; <em>Drag, carry or haul, particularly unnecessary things, parcels or baggage; to go somewhere unwillingly or where you may be unwanted.<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0<\/font><\/font><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<div><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\">The self-help law movement strives to give legal consumers the tools and assistance necessary to solve most of their legal problems themselves &#8212; if they choose &#8212; including, at times, representing themselves in court as <em>pro se<\/em> litigants. \u00a0The movement and process has been led by courts that\u00a0are being\u00a0overwhelmed with unrepresented parties, and by consumer advocates who believe that fair and effective access to justice is a universal right that should finally be made a reality in 21st Century America. <\/font><\/div>\n<div><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<div><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\">As <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2003\/07\/15\/pro-bono-is-not-the-answer-to-the-access-problem\/\"><em>ethicalEsq<\/em><\/a> (Your Editor&#8217;s prior alter ego) said\u00a0in 2003: <\/font><\/font><\/font><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\">&#8220;The average American is not an illiterate serf who cannot understand and handle &#8212; with a little bit of guidance &#8212; most of his or her own everyday legal problems.&#8221;\u00a0\u00a0 <\/font><\/font><\/font><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\">In other words, <em>we shouldn&#8217;t have to shlep around with a lawyer on\u00a0our backs in order to get justice<\/em>. The best way to ensure that the non-rich also have <font color=\"#000000\">access to necessary legal and judicial services is to give them the ability and the option to formulate\u00a0adequate solutions themselves, including acting as <em>pro se<\/em> litigants in court. <\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<div><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<div><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font face=\"Arial\"><font size=\"2\"><font color=\"#000000\">By combining the existence of a literate public with the power of computer technology, with\u00a0a judiciary\u00a0that understands that\u00a0our court\u00a0system exists for the public (rather than for judges\u00a0or the bar), and with lawyers willing and able\u00a0to &#8220;unbundle&#8221; their services and perform discrete tasks for clients who want to handle their own legal matters, we can now make it possible for self-help to be a viable option for solving most of the legal problems of most Americans.\u00a0\u00a0<\/font><\/font><\/font><font color=\"#000000\">\u00a0Of course, those who want to hire a lawyer, or who have issues that can only be adequately handled by a professional trained in the law, should be able to find reasonably-priced, competent\u00a0legal assistance. <\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/div>\n<div><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font size=\"2\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<div>\u00a0<font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><em><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"26\" alt=\"black check\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/shlep\/files\/2006\/08\/black%20check.gif\" width=\"30\" \/>\u00a0SHLEP<\/em>&#8216;s goal is to bring the benefits of a daily weblog to the Self-Help Law movement.\u00a0We have assembled a\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/shlep\/about-the-shlep-team\/\">Team<\/a> of contributors with diverse expertise, skills\u00a0and perspectives, to make it happen.\u00a0 Developments and news about self-help will be\u00a0presented, and viewpoints expressed.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In addition to\u00a0creating or organizing\u00a0background materials for those who want to find self-help resources, the <em>shlep<\/em> Team will attempt to keep readers informed of self-help resources available to the public and to professional providers of those services, of studies and reports on\u00a0self-help law\u00a0and related issues, of relevant symposia and meetings, and of the people and groups aiding (or obstructing) the movement.\u00a0\u00a0<\/font><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\">Although <em><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/accessself-helppro-se\/\">ethicalEsq<\/a><\/em> was known to pass judgment on the legal profession for failing to assist in the growth of Self-Help Law (and for stifling its progress), this space will attempt a more positive approach &#8212; with an occasional suggestion, of course,\u00a0of ways that the private bar, the judiciary, and law schools can better serve the cause.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/font><\/div>\n<div><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\"><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\">Thanks to search engines and the power of weblogging, we hope that\u00a0<em>SHLEP: the Self-Help Law <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bartleby.com\/61\/14\/E0291400.html\">ExPress<\/a><\/em>\u00a0will become a useful gateway and repository for materials on Self-Help Law &#8212; a place to which consumers and practitioners of self-help law (from frontline providers in libraries, courts and legal aid offices, to judges, administrators, advocacy groups, law professors and students working to assure access to justice, to technology experts helping to create and improve digital tools) will return regularly for information and inspiration. <\/font>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><font face=\"Arial\" size=\"2\">\u00a0 <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"56\" alt=\"don't forget\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/shlep\/files\/2006\/08\/dont%20forget%20tack.gif\" width=\"40\" \/>\u00a0<strong>Disclaimer <\/strong>(yes, we have one, too):\u00a0 Nothing at this website should be considered to be legal advice or to create a lawyer-client relationship with any reader or Commentor.\u00a0 A decision to use self-help resources, rather than to hire a lawyer to handle all or part of a legal problem, should only be made after considering many factors (see, <em>e.g<\/em>., <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/shlep\/should-i-go-it-alone\/\">should you go it alone?)<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 <em>shlep <\/em>cannot help individual consumers with their legal problems and cannot (beyond the information presented at this weblog)\u00a0help individuals locate or utilize relevant self-help materia<\/font><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/div>\n<p><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/div>\n<p \/><\/font><\/font><\/div>\n<p><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/div>\n<p><\/font><\/div>\n<p><\/font><\/div>\n<p><\/font><\/div>\n<p \/><\/font><\/font><\/div>\n<p align=\"left\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"79\" alt=\"DAG05\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/shlep\/files\/2006\/08\/DAGOct04sg.gif\" width=\"60\" \/>\u00a0 Let us know what we&#8217;re doing right and how we can improve.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">s\/ David Giacalone, editor<\/p>\n<p><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n<p \/><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 We are proud and grateful that shlep was chosen \u201cBest Law Blog In the Public Interest&#8221; in the Blawg Review Awards 2006 (see our posting, Dec. 25, 2006). For\u00a0more than\u00a0two centuries, American consumers\u00a0have been shlepping toward justice &#8212; they&#8217;ve been manacled to an expensive\u00a0lawyer in order to solve\u00a0a legal problem, or to assert or [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":437,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/shlep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/shlep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/shlep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/shlep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/437"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/shlep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/shlep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/shlep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}