Public Justice Supports Access to Fair Appeals in California Courts

According to Public Justice, The Family Violence Appellate Project (FVAP) and Bay Area Legal Aid challenged California’s ban on electronic recordings in most civil court hearings. Due to a shortage of court reporters, many hearings went unrecorded unless litigants could afford to hire their own reporter. Without a transcript, people could be left without a way to appeal a court decision.

Public Justice filed an amicus brief supporting FVAP’s argument that electronic recordings should be allowed when a court reporter is unavailable. The California Supreme Court agreed that the state constitution requires courts to provide some method of creating a verbatim record of proceedings. When a litigant cannot afford a court reporter and the court cannot provide one, electronic recording must be permitted.

At Advocate Capital, we believe everyone deserves a fair opportunity to pursue justice. We are proud to recognize Public Justice’s continued efforts to promote fairness, accountability, and access to justice. Visit publicjustice.net to learn more about the work Pubic Justice does. 

About Donna A. Jones

Donna Jones is the President at Advocate Capital, which became a part of Pinnacle in 2019. Ms. Jones is a member of the Board of Directors of Advocate Capital and serves as a member of the Credit Committee. Her responsibilities include education and training of Advocate Capital staff regarding civil litigation, coaching new clients on the fundamentals of Advocate’s online services, as well as its proprietary software application, AdvoTrac®, and all activities related to existing and prospective clients.