Court receives grant to help smooth out system

The Fulton County’s Magistrate Court has been awarded a grant that will aid in a new pilot project aimed at improving the efficiency of its high volume civil case load.

The National Center for State Courts recently notified Fulton County Chief Magistrate and Court Administrator Cassandra Kirk that its Civil Justice Initiative Implementation Steering Committee had approved funding for High Volume Court Simplified, designed to build a more user-friendly pro se litigant court, using local legal and community resources and media support. The overall strategy of the pilot will be to restore public trust and confidence in a fast-paced legal process which requires litigants to address and resolve civil issues in a timely manner.

“Our civil case load continues to grow and it is extremely important that our methods of rendering efficient and effective services evolves as well,” said Kirk.

The grant, effective through Feb. 28, 2018, will be accompanied by additional technical support for the project. Last year, Magistrate Court saw approximately 73,000 civil pro se litigant filings.

UPCOMING

Nutrition Classes. 3 p.m. today and March 9 and 16. Free. Southeast Atlanta Branch, 1463 Pryor Road. Learn to make healthy food choices, maximize limited food budgets and handle food safely. 404-613-5771, afpls.org.

U.S.-Japan Now: Womenomics Symposium Luncheon by the Japan-America Society of Georgia. 11 a.m. Tuesday. $25 nonmembers. Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, 1000 Peachtree St. NE. 404-8421400, JASGevents@mindspring. com, jasgeorgia.org.

“Setting the Bar: A Craft Chocolate Origin Story.” 7 p.m. Tuesday. Free. Atlanta Botanical Garden, 1345 Piedmont Ave. NE. This documentary features Atlanta bean-to-bar chocolatiers, Xocolatl Small Batch Chocolate, and other craft-chocolate makers as they venture into the Peruvian jungle to strengthen relationships with farmer communities and identify new types of cacao to bring to market. Meet the film’s director Tim Shephard and Xocolatl owners Elaine Read and Matt Weyandt. atlantabg.org/ visit/events/alston-lecture.