Justice, plain and simple: A report of the 2019 Siben and Siben conference on plain language and simplification

• Published in: Family Court Review: an interdisciplinary journal Vol. 58; no. 1; pp. 174 - 194
• Main Author: Stolzenberg, Emily J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, USA John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-01-2020; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: ACCESS TO JUSTICE; Consumer credit; DEBTS AND DEBTORS; Evaluation; HOUSING; Immigrants; Justice; Language; Language and languages; LEGAL PROFESSION; LEGAL SYSTEM; Literacy; Social aspects; UNITED STATES
• ISSN: 1531-2445; 1744-1617
• DOI: 10.1111/fcre.12466

Our laws and legal processes were designed "by lawyers, for lawyers," but the majority of litigants in family court, as well as in housing, foreclosure, and consumer debt cases, now lack attorney representation. These self-represented litigants face significant barriers to successfully navigating the legal system. In addition to lacking specialized legal knowledge, self-represented litigants may struggle with low levels of literacy. About 32 million adults in the United States cannot read, and half of adults in the U.S. cannot read at or above an eighth-grade level. English literacy rates can be even lower in immigrant populations.