Access to Justice: Ensuring Language Access in the New York Courts

Hosted by the NYS Unified Court System Advisory Committee on Language Access

NY CLE: 1.0 Credit in Ethics and Professionalism, 0.5 Credits in Diversity, Inclusion and Elimination of Bias, Non-Transitional

Program Chair: Hon. Raja Rajeswari, New York City Criminal Court Judge & Co-Chair of the Advisory Committee on Court Interpreting for the Office of Court Administration

Speakers: 
Ann Ryan, Coordinator, Office of Language Access, Court Operations / Interpreting Services of the Unified Court System
Dan Weitz, Director, Professional and Court Services of the Unified Court System

Moderator: Hon. Raja Rajeswari, New York City Criminal Court Judge & Co-Chair of the Advisory Committee on Court Interpreting for the Office of Court Administration

This program will explore the new initiatives implemented by the Office of Language Access (OLA) of the New York State Unified Court System of the Strategic Plan to address the growing needs of thousands of individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP), especially within our Asian American community. The panel will discuss changing technologies and the resources needed to facilitate court interpreting, as well as rising concerns about access to justice within immigrant communities. The need for interpreters who speak languages from Asia is growing exponentially, and it is important for us to reach a maximum number of attorneys who can learn about their clients’ rights to language access, as well as the plethora of services available to them. Through this panel and organizations like AABANY, we would like to spread the word about opportunities to become interpreters in the court system and increase our database of interpreters who speak languages from Asia. The LEP population would benefit immensely from faster resolutions in the courts, which will allow individuals to avoid unnecessary delays and obtain equal access to justice.