Arizona Library Association ConferenceNovember 14, 2013 Yes, You Can Help People with Legal...

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Arizona Library Association Conference November 14, 2013

Yes, You Can Help People with Legal Questions!

Barbara Howe and Janet Fisher, State Library of Arizona

Tony Apodaca, Maricopa County Library District

“I need information on…”

• How to file for divorce• Whether this contract is legal• Writing a will• How long creditors have to collect

November 14, 2013Arizona Library Association Conference

Don’t Panic!

What are we talking about?

ANSWER:Access to Justice

Legal information - something we can do

Guide created for County Court personnel, and useful for libraries.

http://www.azcourts.gov/Portals/34/Guides/QRHandbook.pdf

Examples of an informational question

Q. Is jury service mandatory?A. The United States Constitution and the Arizona State Constitution guarantee the right to trial by jury. Failure to attend as directed may subject the person to penalties provided by law, including a fine up to $500 and being rescheduled for jury service, See A.R.S. Title 21.

Legal Advice – Sentences to avoid

• I think you should …

• What this is saying is …

• The law really means …

Your toolkit for helping with legal questions

Statewide databases

Legal Information Reference Center has a general focus

•How-to’s• Forms• Explanations

General research in EBSCO databases can provide some description of legal issues and examples

AZLawHelp.org

• Ask questions• Find a lawyero Online intake form

• Identify applicable legal serviceso Modest Means Projecto Arizona Senior Citizens Law Project

Other online tools

State Bar of Arizona • Find a Lawyer

Maricopa County Bar Association • Lawyer Referral Service

Hein Online• Articles• Attorney General Opinions• More

State:• Arizona State Courts – self-service forms

http://www.azcourts.gov/selfservicecenter/selfserviceforms.aspx

Federal:• Law Library of Congress

http://www.loc.gov/law/help/guide/states/us-az.php http://www.loc.gov/law/help/guide/federal.php

• Regulations.gov• USA.gov

Government sites

Contact someone to help you

County law librariesCounty courts• Note: Many sources from Maricopa County

Superior Court can be revised for use in other counties

State law librarians – research@azlibrary.gov

Looking forward to the start of a project

Maricopa County as test location

• Provide training to selected/self-selected library staff from Maricopa County Library District a couple of branches in some metro-area libraries– Testing value of training in urban and rural areas

Schedule Spring 2014 – training for library staff, event with attorneys and connection between communities and attorneys.

Survey participants

Before• Common areas for training

After• Value of training – less apprehension in

providing assistance with law-related questions; knowledge of sources for assistance and how far to go when responding

Questions?

Contact us:

Barbara Howe bhowe@azlibrary.gov

Janet Fisher jfisher@azlibrary.gov

Tony Apodaca TonyApodaca@mcldaz.org

Arizona Library Association ConferenceNovember 14, 2013 Yes, You Can Help People with Legal...

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