Legal News

Self-help centers crop up in CA

By Richard Binder

In response to a growing tide of pro se litigants in federal courts, legal centers in at least three districts have been set up to provide services and advice to parties who represent themselves in civil cases.

The newest center opened on March 5 at a federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles. Last year, a similar one opened in the federal courthouse in San Francisco. A third program, operating out of the federal courthouse in Chicago, has been operating since 2006.

The centers reflect the increasing number of pro se litigants in federal courts, particularly in employment and certain types of civil rights lawsuits. About 150 centers exist nationwide to assist pro se litigants, but most are part of state courts and vary from clinics to telephone hotlines to online resources.

Unlike state courts, where pro se litigants frequently show up in divorces, the vast majority in federal court appear with employment claims, such as violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act and other anti-discrimination statutes.

Read the full story at NLJ.

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on March 09, 2009 (boomark / email).