CatalystZone
CatalystZone is a consulting partner to courts, communities, law firms, nonprofits, law schools, government, foundations and others. We create user-centered justice services using design thinking and process improvement to:
Develop Strategy
Build Capacity
Lead Change
Shift Culture
Amazing Solutions
Who We Are
Consulting partner to courts, law firms, legal aid, law schools and foundations. Employing design thinking and process improvement to empower communities, increase agility, accelerate adoption and drive systems change.
Our Focus
Making the justice system accessible, efficient and easy to use for those who need it most.
Our Action
Designing and facilitating engagements that solve problems, create value and transform relationships.
Our Method
Using design thinking and process improvement methods to create user-centered justice services.
Who We Are
Consulting partner to courts, law firms, legal aid, law schools and foundations. Employing design thinking and process improvement to empower communities, increase agility, accelerate adoption and drive systems change.
Our Focus
Making the justice system accessible, efficient and easy to use for those who need it most.
Our Action
Designing and facilitating engagements that solve problems, create value and transform relationships.
Our Method
Using design thinking and process improvement methods to create user-centered justice services.
Amazing Solutions
Develop Strategy
increase creativity & sustainability
More
- Design targeted strategy process
- Facilitate strategy engagement
- Serve as strategic advisor
- Utilize adaptive strategy methods
Build Capacity
More
- Design thinking
- Design sprints
- Process improvement
- Process mapping
Lead Change
with clients, communities & organizations
More
- Leadership succession
- Alliances, partnerships & networks
- Participatory justice & public sector design
- Interim or transition leadership executive
Shift Culture
to user-centered, collaborative & accountable
More
- Multi-disciplinary collaborations
- Cross-functional team building
- Team & leadership evaluation processes
- Meaningful client, community, board, staff & stakeholder feedback loops
Additional Capacities
Teams tailored to your needs
Turnkey delivery for your convenience
Smaller organizations don’t have the resources, and busy professionals rarely have the time, to provide the administrative, operational and/or logistical support larger and lengthier projects may require. Find out how CatalystZone can support you.
Melissa A. Moss
Founder and CEO
25 years in civil justice leadership.
Melissa A. Moss
In her previous role as Deputy Director for Strategic Initiatives at The Florida Bar Foundation, Melissa initiated three major projects that had a profound impact on her own approach to increasing access to justice:
- The Escambia Project – which illustrated the transformative power of community-driven legal design and
- The Toyota Partnership – How developing a continuous improvement mindset helped several legal aid programs address growing demand and shrinking resources.
- The Florida Bar Foundation’s Strategic Reset– Changing the Foundation’s traditional IOLTA grantmaking approach to that of an investor in collective impact, innovation and systems change.
Melissa formed CatalystZone to integrate design thinking and process improvement with adaptive strategy—to engage people in solving legal problems and changing the justice system. She is particularly committed to co-design, engaging community stakeholders as partners throughout the legal design process.
Melissa has served as Executive Director for two LSC-funded legal aid programs (North Carolina and Alabama), as program counsel and national rural delivery specialist for the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) and has participated on peer review teams in several states including Massachusetts, Ohio and Florida.
Her undergraduate degree is from Butler University and her JD from Georgia State College of Law. She is currently working on her certificate in Legal Innovation and Technology from Suffolk Law.
Featured Projects and Media
Projects
Neighbors Designing Justice Project
DC Area Contract Positions available.
Application deadline Friday March 6, 2020
Send cover letter and resume to: melissa@catalystzone.com.
Community Building Engagement Leader Description
The Escambia Project:
Articles:
Community Design for New Modes of Legal Service: The Escambia Project by M. Hagan
One Year of Legal Community Design in The Escambia Project by M. Hagan
Video Series:
Framing the Challenge – Melissa Moss, CatalystZone (2:19)
Planning & Co-Design Facilitation – Margaret Hagan, LegalDesignLab (3:41)
Wrap Around Services Partner – Connie Bookman, Pathways for Change (3:13)
Overview and Community Launch – Margaret Hagan, Legal Design Lab (3:19)
Community Building & Engagement – Andrea Costello, Florida Institutional Legal Services (4:23)
The 3 Ideas: An Overview – Leslie Powell Boudreaux, Legal Services of N. FL. (2:52)
Smart Intake – Leslie Powell Boudreaux, Legal Services of N. FL. (1:19)
One Stop Life Shop – Leslie Powell Boudreaux, Legal Services of N. FL. (1:58)
Justice on the Block – Leslie Powell Boudreaux, Legal Services of N. FL. (3:25)
Community Lawyering – Alana Greer, Community Justice Project (7:02)
How Escambia Made a Difference – Margaret Hagan, LegalDesignLab and Leslie Powell Boudreaux, Legal Services of N. FL. (6:28)
The Toyota Project: Process Improvement & Legal Aid
Articles:
Lean Lawyering: A Florida Legal Aid Office Test Drives The Toyota Way Florida Bar Foundation
Business Process Analysis in Legal Aid: How Florida Rural Legal Services Partnered with Toyota to Improve Its Client Intake and Customer Service Legal Services Corporation
Presentations
Lean Lawyering: An Introduction to Process Improvement (Student Perspective) Blog Post by Justin Evans, March, 2018
Access to Justice Innovation to Assist Pro Se Litigants (co-presenter & design sprint)
National Association of Administrative Law Judges, 2018 Annual Meeting
Publications
Can Technology Bridge the Justice Gap? By Melissa Moss, The Florida Bar Journal, January 2016
LawHelpMN Guide: Trusted Intermediaries as Users & Facilitators Report By Melissa Moss, March 2019
Human-centered design research & feedback from public librarians, community service providers & faith-based ministries. Report also provides information & resources for those who might be considering a similar project.