Washington, D.C., November 21, 2023—The Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) and Legal Services Corporation (LSC) are pleased to announce the fourth and final webinar in an ongoing series, Assisting Parties in Federal Administrative Adjudication.

Millions of people each year navigate adjudication processes to access critical benefits and services administered by federal agencies or provided under federal programs. According to the Justice Gap study published by LSC earlier this year, 92% of the substantial legal problems facing low-income Americans—including problems accessing federally administered benefits—receive no or inadequate legal assistance.

Over the past year, ACUS and LSC have organized three webinars to examine ways to improve support for participants in adjudication processes in which parties are frequently self-represented.

A fourth and final webinar in the series, Improving Administrative Systems, will take place on December 7, 2023, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET. It will focus on the drivers of systemwide reforms that make administrative proceedings more accessible to the public.

Attendees will hear from state government officials and their private partners who have restructured Michigan's benefits applications to be more justice-centered and user-friendly, as well as federal and international leaders on how simplifying administrative systems can benefit both applicants and government agencies.

Panelists include:

• Paul Aterman, Former Chairperson, Social Security Tribunal of Canada
• Sam Brennan, Interim Design Director, Civilla
• Charlie Gillig, Senior Counsel, Office for Access to Justice, U.S. Department of Justice
• Lew Roubal, Chief Deputy Director for Opportunity, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

LSC President Ronald S. Flagg will moderate the discussion, and ACUS Chair Andrew Fois will provide opening remarks.

Interested persons can register to attend the webinar at https://lsc-gov.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cu3v1zibREKZ6PkXEa_MiA#/registration.

Recordings of previous panels are available on LSC’s YouTube channel and ACUS’s website.

“Next week’s webinar concludes this successful series, co-hosted by ACUS and LSC, exploring how the government can improve the experience of those who find themselves involved in adjudication with a federal administrative agency,” said ACUS Chair Andrew Fois. “The discussion will focus on how administrative systems themselves can be improved, with Michigan and Canada serving as leading examples, to improve access to administrative procedures. These reforms are particularly important to low-income people, people with disabilities, individuals with limited English proficiency, and members of other traditionally underserved communities. We are grateful to Ron Flagg and everyone at LSC for their partnership in this important project.”  

“Access to Federal benefits can be life-changing, but far too many people must navigate the confusing adjudication process alone because of a lack of resources,” said LSC President Ronald S. Flagg. “This series has explored effective strategies for supporting participants in Federal administrative proceedings. We're excited to collaborate with ACUS on the final entry in the series, which will shine a light on potential systemwide reforms to make these proceedings more accessible and user focused.”

About ACUS

The Administrative Conference of the United States is an independent, non-partisan federal agency within the executive branch dedicated to improving administrative law and federal regulatory processes. It conducts applied research, and provides expert recommendations and other advice, to improve federal agency procedures. Its membership is composed of senior federal officials, academics, and other experts from the private sector. Since 1968, ACUS has issued hundreds of recommendations, published reports and reference guides, and organized forums to improve the efficiency, adequacy, and fairness of administrative processes such as rulemaking and adjudication. Many have resulted in reforms by federal agencies, the President, Congress, and the Judicial Conference of the United States. Learn more at http://www.acus.gov.

About LSC

Legal Services Corporation (LSC) is an independent nonprofit established by Congress in 1974 to provide financial support for civil legal aid to low-income Americans. LSC currently provides funding to 131 independent nonprofit legal aid programs in every state, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. Learn more at www.lsc.gov.

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