Talk Justice: Episode 67
New Mexico's Court Scribe Program
Pioneers of New Mexico’s court scribe program discuss how the program makes the courts more accessible on the of LSC’s “Talk Justice.”Language access has long been a priority of New Mexico courts, but the recent addition of court scribes has taken this push for court accessibility to new levels. The scribing initiative allows people in qualifying situations to make an appointment with court staff or a trained volunteer who assists them in filling out their legal forms.
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Featured Guests
Paula Couselo-Findikoglu serves as the Director of Court Education at the NM Administrative Office of the Courts. She served as the Court Services Deputy Division Director until recently and as the Sr. Statewide Language Access Program Manager until 2021.
The 2020 Access to Justice Index, published by the National Center for Access to Justice, ranked the NM Judiciary’s Language Access Program under her direction #1 in the nation.
Ms. Couselo-Findikoglu is a nationally recognized expert in court access, and has spearheaded multiple initiatives and technologies to advance court access for LEP and low literacy individuals, and people with disabilities interacting with the NM State Courts.
Ms. Couselo-Findikoglu is an ex officio member in the NM Judiciary of the NM Supreme Court’s Equity and Justice Commission, and created the Diversity and Inclusion Department within the Court Services Division of the NM Administrative Office of the Courts in 2021. She Co-Chairs NASJE’s Diversity, Fairness and Access Committee, and serves as an NCSC’s Council of Language Access Coordinators liaison to COSCA’s National Language Access Advisory Committee.
She was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she received a Master’s Degree in Translation and pursued doctoral studies in English while founding and managing her translation and interpretation services company. She moved to the US in 2005, served as a faculty at the University of New Mexico until 2013, and has been with the NM Judiciary since 2010.
Peggy Cadwell is the Statewide ADA Title II Coordinator under the Legal Division for the New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts, where she is responsible for the development, implementation and enforcement of the ADA Title II program in the New Mexico Courts. She oversees the implementation of Title II standards, the strict review of policies and procedures, best practices, and guidelines in all New Mexico state courts. Ms. Cadwell became a Court Certified Spanish Interpreter for the State of New Mexico in 1999, and was an instrumental member of the team that helped New Mexico rank # 1 in the ATJ Index for Language Access. A member of the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters, Ms. Cadwell specializes in legal interpreting and holds certifications in medical, technical, and financial interpreting. Ms. Cadwell joined the faculty of The National Judicial College in 2014, and is a national presenter on topics related to court interpreting, the ADA and the provision of accommodations in the legal setting.
Host
Molly McDonough is the senior creative services manager at a large law firm. She previously worked as an independent media consultant for lawyers, legal organizations and legal tech companies. Before that, Molly was editor/publisher of the , where she oversaw the publication’s editorial and business operations. Molly spent much of her career in daily news and legal journalism, including stints at and the . She is active in the , serving as the president.