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Tony Carnevale

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Monday, January 13, 2003

IANNELLA SWORN INTO 2nd TERM AS 23rd REGISTER OF PROBATE FOR SUFFOLK COUNTY:

Upon beginning his second term as the 23^rd Register of Probate for Suffolk County this week, Richard Iannella pledged to build upon his strong record of creating a user-friendly Registry and improving public access to the court. “Nearly everyone will come through our doors at some point in their lives, and they have the right to receive the help and information that they need in order to get their case to a judge,” he said.

In November 2000, Iannella opened the first do-it-yourself center in the Commonwealth. Iannella says the self-help center was an absolute necessity given the fact that most people come to the court without a lawyer: “My first day on the job, I saw a long line of people who looked like they were at the supermarket checkout on a Saturday morning. They were all pro se litigants, and there weren’t any programs in place to help them,” he said. “Court forms use complicated jargon and are difficult to understand, while court procedures can be even more confusing to someone who is in court for the first time. Now, we provide simple instruction booklets in plain language that tell them how to fill out court forms and get their case to the judge.” Many of these self-help kits have recently been translated into Spanish, and the volunteer “Lawyer for the Day” program has also been expanded to help unrepresented litigants.

Iannella also points to his first-term commitment to reach beyond the courthouse walls as another way to serve the public: “My staff and I have been to nearly every Suffolk County neighborhood in order to hold evening meetings and answer important questions about wills, estates, divorce, paternity and guardianship,” he said. “We’ve met with thousands of people, and they seem to appreciate the good advice we give about ways to protect your home and assets and provide for your children in case of a tragedy.” Iannella also brings information about health care proxies, estate planning, and will preparation and safekeeping to senior centers and elderly housing as part of a similar program designed specifically for local senior citizens.

Technological improvements have also helped to streamline Registry operations. “When I first arrived, there wasn’t a computer to be found on a desk, and looking up a case was like finding a needle in a haystack,” Iannella said. Since that time, over one million files have been indexed for easy look-up, and all new court filings are now being scanned and digitized for future use. Iannella also developed an Internet Web site, www.probatecourtiannella.com, that includes helpful information about the Registry and court forms ready for downloading. “Taxpayers and the public shouldn’t have to struggle to access public information,” he said.

“While we will continue the progress that we’ve made, I look at the next six years as a new beginning,” continued Iannella. He points to his recent election as President of the Massachusetts Association of Registers of Probate as one new challenge: “Because we are among the few court administrators who are elected to office, we are directly accountable to the public,” he said. “We take that responsibility very seriously, and we’ll listen to what the public has to say during these tough fiscal times.” He also pledged to open a dialogue on the issue of the decaying family structure. “With the divorce rate in Suffolk County nearing 60% and with an average of fifteen new paternity cases filed in our court each day, we need to start talking about these problems in order to do what’s best for families and children in our community.”