Columnist Sandra Thompson: Legal center courts change for the better

Plans to establish a self-help legal center in Family Court are moving forward.

The need is great: 44 percent of Family Court cases involve at least one litigant who represents himself/herself. And the numbers are growing every day.

Most people can't afford the attorneys' fees. "Simple" cases often cost $5,000 to $10,000 to litigate. The more contentious the case, the higher the bill. As one observer put it, attorneys are pricing themselves out of the family law market.

A strong pro se litigant assistance program was one of the main recommendations of the September 1997 Wiley report, which analyzed operations of Family Court.

The court took the recommendation to heart, and last month won County Commission approval to hire an attorney and two legal office specialists to man the self-help center for one year.

"It's a huge step," Court Administrator Chuck Short said.

The staff would not offer legal advice or plan case strategy, but would provide litigants with the forms they need and tell them how to fill them out properly. That would be a significant step because a lot of time is lost and cases are continued because a form has not been properly filed.

The center also would provide information on family law specialists, their fees and hours of operation. For example, some attorneys offer reduced rates for the poor but don't advertise that. Those names would be available at the center.

The center will be across from the clerk's office on the first floor of the Family Court at Bonanza and Pecos roads.

A committee that includes representatives of the District Court staff, William S. Boyd Law School, Clark County Pro Bono Project, Clark County Legal Services, the Nevada State Bar and the Clark County Bar is drawing up guidelines for the center.

Future plans include the possibility of contracting with nonprofit legal service agencies to provide one-on-one legal services, placing legal forms on the Internet and offering classes on how to file a case, answer a complaint or petition for an adjustment to child support.

The center, which could be operational by January or February, is modeled after the self-service center in Maricopa County, Ariz.

Maricopa officials are well aware of the need for its center: More than 80,000 people represented themselves in litigation in 1995, almost double the 1991 figures. Six of 10 divorce-related cases involved no lawyer on either side.

Much of the court staff's time was spent fielding questions from self-represented litigants -- more than 5,000 calls per month asking for procedural information (each call took 10 to 12 minutes). Staff also found that some of the do-it-yourself legal kits litigants had were wrong and could not be legally used, which further delayed cases.

Since opening in February 1995, 160,515 people have been served at the Maricopa court locations. The center also distributed more than 1 million pieces of paper. That figure should tell officials there is a tremendous need to cut down on legal paperwork.

The cost of the Las Vegas self-help center is $383,637 for 1998-99, including salaries, benefits and supplies. Short says about $150,000 of that figure is a one-time capital expense.

It will be money well spent if it helps people move more quickly and satisfactorily through the court system. And, at the rate some attorneys charge to handle contentious cases, it's a drop in the bucket.

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