The A2J Network email list is a community of judges, court administrators, law librarians, legal aid professionals, self-help center staff, technologists, researchers, vendors, and others working to improve access to justice. The network email list is a place to share practical knowledge, ask questions, learn from peers, and stay informed across the full breadth of access to justice work — including court operations, forms and plain language, legal self-help services, justice policy, legal education, research, and technology.

Our network has grown to many members. While this growth strengthens our work, it makes it more important that we communicate thoughtfully. To support our active and diverse membership, we ask that all A2J Network members abide by the following community agreement when using the email list.

Community Agreement

* We are all working to make the justice system more accessible, fair, and understandable for the people it serves.

* We come to this list to give and receive practical knowledge and to learn from each other’s experiences across roles and jurisdictions.

* We respect each other’s time. This list reaches busy professionals who are managing full workloads. Posts should be concise, considered, and written in the poster’s own voice. Before posting, ask: does the full membership need this, or is it better suited to a working group meeting, a focused email list, a direct message, or a blog?

* We encourage a wide range of topics. The list is strongest when it reflects the full diversity of access to justice work, not just one subject area.

* We honor diversity of opinion. Respectful disagreement and constructive criticism are welcome. Personal attacks and adversarial exchanges are not. If a thread is generating more heat than light, take it off-list. Also, move lengthy exchanges between a small group of people to direct messages, rather than replying all.

* We do not promote ventures. We welcome vendors and startup founders as part of our community, but the list is not a venue for promoting companies or soliciting business. Vendors should contribute knowledge and experience, not pitches. A helpful test: Would this post be equally useful to the reader if the product or company name were removed? If not, it is probably promotional. 

* We do not circulate petitions, sign-on letters, calls for boycotts, or political advocacy alerts through the list. Our membership includes judges, court staff, and government employees who are bound by codes of conduct restricting political activity. Policy developments that affect access to justice may be shared factually. Partisan commentary, political opinion pieces, and solicitations for endorsements should not be posted to the list.

* We calibrate our participation. Members who post frequently should be mindful of the space they occupy. 

Focused Email Sub-Groups

The A2J Network maintains focused email lists for extended discussion on specific topics, including:

• AI & Access to Justice, 
• Law Librarians, 
• Teaching Access to Justice,
• Legal Self-Help Websites.

These are opt-in lists where deeper, longer conversations belong.

When something in an email sub-group is relevant to the full network, post a brief summary to the main list and point readers to the working group for more. When in doubt about where to post, choose the email sub-group.

List Etiquette

* Use clear, specific subject lines. Start a new thread when changing topics.

* Reply to the full list only when your response adds value for the full membership. Thank-you’s and replies to one person should go to that person directly.

* When sharing a resource or link, add a sentence about why it matters to this community.

* Do not forward messages from other lists.

* Do not send administrative messages (“remove me from the list”) through the list. You can manage your email list preferences or removal through Google Groups. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to a2jn-community+unsubscribe@law.stanford.edu 

* If you want to post a question anonymously, contact the A2J Network team at a2jnetwork@stanford.edu.

Enforcement

These guidelines are maintained by the A2J Network Advisory Board. When a post falls outside the agreement, a member of the team will reach out privately. Our goal is to keep people on the list and participating constructively. The Advisory Board reserves the right to limit posting privileges for members who repeatedly disregard the community agreement.

Questions or feedback? Contact the Advisory Board at a2jnetwork@stanford.edu