By Deborah Hughes, Executive Director, Legal Assistance Center, Grand Rapids
The innovative 62B District Court in Kentwood has created a
new way to support self-represented litigants.
Chief Judge William G. Kelly and Court Administrator Michele White
envisioned a place at D62B where self-represented litigants can easily find
forms, resources, and online tools to assist them in using the court services and
solving legal problems on their own.
Led by Michele White, the 62B District Court laid out and
equipped a room with a computer, phone, information, and form racks. Colorful signs show the way and help to
explain the purpose of the center. The LAC
crafted the guiding materials and resources.
Located just inside the court entrance, the center is easily
visible as visitors approach the clerk’s windows. The computer has direct links to the Legal
Assistance Center, the court’s website, Legal Aid of Western Michigan, Michigan
Legal Help, and other key resources, including how to find a lawyer. A user’s guide assists visitors with
understanding the difference between district court and circuit court and the
kinds of cases each court handles, and directs them in making effective use of
the resources in the center.
A telephone, brochures,
and packets of easily-understood forms are also available. Most support district court matters such as
eviction and small claims, but others were designed to help visitors understand
where to go and what to do if they need help with circuit court matters like
divorce or custody.
As a self-guided self-help center, the 62B District Court
Legal Assistance Center is an experiment.
The LAC is focused on working with people one-on-one, in person and by
phone, to provide legal information, forms, resources, guidance, and
referrals. However, barriers to traveling
to the downtown courthouse and going back and forth between downtown and area district
courts means that some people who need help might not be getting it. The Kentwood center is designed to assess the
effectiveness of self-guided services in helping the public.
There is a growing gap between those who can afford paid
legal representation and the very few who can get free representation. This is referred to as the justice gap --
people caught in the middle with little choice but to solve legal problems and
use the courts on their own, which can be difficult.
Courts everywhere face the challenge of working with
self-represented litigants who need help to navigate the system. The partnership that created the 62B District
Court Legal Assistance Center is designed to help meet that challenge for the
benefit of the court and the people it serves.
For more information about legal self-help services or
creating a center in your court, contact:
Deborah J. Hughes, Executive Director of the Legal Assistance Center
616-632-6007 or deborah@legalassistancecenter.org
Michele White, Court Administrator and Magistrate, 62B District Court
616-554-0715 or whitem@kentwood.us
Chief Judge William G. Kelly
616-554-0717 or kellyw@kentwood.us
Deborah Hughes, an attorney, has
been Executive Director of the Legal Assistance Center since 2012.
Deborah is involved in many Access to Justice efforts, including the national
Self-Represented Litigation Network (SLRN), the State Bar of Michigan Limited
Scope Practice Task Force, and the Michigan Legal Help Advisory Board.