2011 California Conference on Self-

Represented Litigants

Developing Online Tools to Assist Self-Represented Litigants: The

FAQ Approach

June 9, 2011

Presenters

• Janine Liebert, Librarian, Programs & Partnerships, LA Law Library

• Bill Tanner, Directing Attorney, Legal Aid Society of Orange County

• Sherna Deamer, Manager, Virtual Self-Help Law Center for Contra Costa County

Our Focus Today

• LA Law Library (www.lalawlibrary.org/) web services

• Model programs that make extensive use of online FAQs to meet the needs of self-represented litigants:• The Virtual Self-Help Law Center for

Contra Costa County (www.cc-courthelp.org/)

• The Legal Resolutions Center (Legal Aid Society of Orange County) (www.legalresolutions.com/)

LA Law Library: Services and Resources

• Legal research assistance • General public legal materials • Public access computers • Make forms available• Legal research databases • Strong referral relationships

FAQs: The Need

• Email requests submitted to Reference and Research Team of 11 professional librarians via:

• LA Law Library website (www.lalawlibrary.org)• “Ask the Law Librarian” live chat

service• “Ask the Law Librarian” email service

FAQs: The Need

• The proportion of requests submitted via email/live chat increased from 7% in 2009 to 17% in 2010

• Currently averaging 600 email requests per montho Take a lot of time to write responseso Need professional staff to write themo Send links and email attachments

• Communicating with the Library without walking through the door has proven very effective.

Common Questions

• Debt collection• General court procedures• Landlord/Tenant• Small Claims• Divorce, child custody and visitation• Spousal and child support• Traffic tickets• Wills• Probate• Expunging criminal records

Sample Questions

• I am being sued by a credit card company. What form do I use to respond?

• I received 3-day notice from my landlord. How do I count the three days?

• Clients in Utah owe money. Can I sue in California?

• I recently filed for divorce but now I want to drop the case. How do I do that?

• Where can I download the form for modifying a child support order?

Sample Questions

• What do I need to have my criminal record erased?

• I had a default judgment entered against me. Can I get it removed?

• I can’t pay my traffic ticket. Can I request community service?

• I have a writ of execution, how do I collect my judgment?

• What is service of process?

Goals of the Project

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that evolve in response to email/live chat requests

• Draw on existing resources• Professional librarian knowledge and

experience• Reusable content

Goals of the Project

• Direct website/live chat users to online FAQs for answers where only information is needed o Frees up staff to do other worko Can remove need to email

links/attachments• Used by Library staff and partners

(courts/legal aid providers) serving end users

Next Steps

• Needs assessment to identify/prioritize FAQs

• Identify existing content (received via email/live chat) that can be repackaged into FAQs

• Develop tools to reuse existing content• Identify staff and outside partner resources • Set up systems for keeping FAQs up-to-

date

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