Welcome to the Office of Access and Community Engagement (OACE)
The OACE is a department of the Judicial Branch within the Administrative Office of the Courts.
Office Phone: 603-415-0883
About the OACE
The Office of Access and Community Engagement (OACE) was created by the New Hampshire Supreme Court to support the work of the New Hampshire Access to Justice Commission. Its mission is to help ensure that everyone in New Hampshire has meaningful access to civil and other legal help, regardless of their background or circumstances.
OACE works closely with community members and court stakeholders to improve how people engage with the legal system. This includes supporting efforts to expand access to justice, helping the courts communicate more clearly, and coordinating data collection and analysis to better understand community needs and inform future improvements.
OACE was created in 2023 by an administrative order of the NH Supreme Court.
Our Current Access to Justice Projects
The OACE manages multiple grant-funded Access to Justice (A2J) projects that are currently in development. New Hampshire’s Access to Justice projects are a coordinated effort to expand legal information and resources for the growing number of people who come to court without a lawyer. As more individuals represent themselves in legal matters, these projects aim to reduce barriers, simplify processes, and connect self-represented litigants with the information and support they need to navigate the system confidently.
Each project—whether it’s simplifying and redesigning court forms for greater clarity and accessibility, launching the Mobile Outreach Program with trained volunteers available to answer questions in community spaces, or developing online tools—is designed to complement the others. Together, they support a larger effort to make courts and the justice system more accessible to self-represented litigants by providing clear, easy-to-understand legal information (not legal advice). The goal is to promote transparency, reduce confusion, and help all individuals navigate the legal process with greater confidence.
A brief description of our current projects is below.
FORM SIMPLIFICATION
Program Goals: The goal of the New Hampshire Forms Simplification Project is to make court forms easier to understand, complete, and use—especially for people without legal representation. The project applies plain language principles, improves layout and instructions, and ensures that redesigned forms are ADA compliant. It also includes training for staff on best practices so that form accessibility and clarity can be sustained over time.
WEBSITE ENHANCEMENTS
Judicial Branch Website Improvements
Program Goals: To analyze and improve the NH Judicial Branch website, focusing on both content and user navigation experience, with the goal of enhancing accessibility and usability, specifically for the self-represented litigant.
Judicial Branch Chatbot
Program Goals: The New Hampshire Chatbot Project aims to help court users—especially those without lawyers—by providing quick, easy access to reliable legal information (not legal advice). The chatbot uses plain language to guide users through common court questions, making it easier to understand and navigate court processes.
INCREASING LANGUAGE ACCESS
Instant Language Access (ILA)
Program Goals: This AI-powered, tablet-like device brings real-time translation and interpretation tools to court lobbies and clerk counters to better serve individuals with limited English proficiency. It supports both spoken and written communication.
Interpretation Services in the Courtroom
Program Goals: Brings language interpretation vendor option that increases the pool of certified interpreters to cover a wider range of languages services to be delivered virtually via Webex for hearings.
Updating Language Access Plan and Resources
Program Goals: To assess the NHJB’s statewide language access services and to identify areas for improvements in the NHJB’s Language Access Plan.
HELP OUTSIDE THE COURTHOUSE
Legal Spotter Training Program
Program Goals: To provide legal information and referral training to community-based service professionals to enable them to identify legal issues their clients may be experiencing and refer them to the appropriate organizations for further assistance.
Mobile Outreach Program
Program Goals: A small team of trained and skilled volunteers will be deployed to community spaces like libraries and centers to provide legal information—not legal advice—and help residents better understand and navigate the court system.
DATA COLLECTION
Program Goals: Develop metrics for each Access to Justice project to assess appropriateness, efficacy, and sustainability, ensuring measurable impact and long-term viability.