Legal Industry News
February 11, 2010
Lawyers to Become Pro Bono Judges to Help Court Backlog
In Yakima County, Washington, the superior court has a backlog of more than 500 civil cases, sitting on the back burner while the judges make criminal cases a priority. After tiring of the massive civil trial delays, local attorney Richard Bartheld decided to do something about it.
Bartheld wrote to a court consultant and volunteered to serve as a part-time judge to help get the docket moving. Next month, at least nine attorneys will serve as pro bono judges, using a federal courtroom donated for the effort.
Yakima Count has eight superior court judges and three court commissioners, but it really…
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