Starting a Self-Help Center

News: Tale of Two No-Cost Re-Engineering Projects that Launched Self-Help Centers (SRLN 2015)

Both the Bronx Family Court and the Pittsburgh Court were able to significantly increase quality, speed, and capacity by re-engineering procedures, re-arranging physical layout, some paint, and new benches.
Justice in Government Project Logo

Study: AmeriCorps Court-Based Navigator Programs (Justice in Government Project 2020)

The Justice in Government Project (JGP) at American University, with support from Pew Charitable Trusts, seeks to support funding for legal aid and improve initiatives that address the access to justice gap.

Report: Turning on the Lights: How the Massachusetts Trial Court Could Deploy a Virtual Court Service Center to Assist Self-Represented Litigants (MA Appleseed 2019)

This report was prepared in partnershup with the Mass. Trial Court to inform the development of a virtual self-help center to supplement the work done by its court service centers.

Tool: CA Self-Help Centers' Self-Assessment Tool for Quality Programs (CA Courts 2018)

The California Self-Help Centers’ Self-Assessment Tool for Quality Programs was developed as a strategic and tactical planning template to promote quality Self-Help Center Programs across California.
National Association of Court Management

Article: Creating a User-Friendly Court Structure and Environment (NACM 2016)

This publication, from the National Association for Court Management (NACM), encourages the reader to this how the court environment - from the building, to the people, to the technology and resources - can be re
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Report: Clearing a Path to Justice (MD Working Group on Self-Representation 2007)

This Report is a useful example for jurisdictions thinking about how to build analysis and support as they develop self-help services. From the table of contents:

Maryland Centralizes District and Circuit Court Self-Help While Expanding Phone and Mobile Support (News 2016)

After unifying its statewide self-help support services into a single call line and support center, the Maryland court system’s new Maryland Self-Help Center expects to at least doub

Pittsburgh Court Doubles the Number of Self-Represented Litigants Served In First Three Months With No-Cost Reengineering Initiative (News 2016)

In Pittsburgh, reengineering was the key to serving Self-Represented Litigants (SRLs), resulting in the opening of the court’s Family Division Self-Help Center (SHC), which do
Center for Families Children and the Court Logo

Article: California’s Family Law Facilitator Program: A New Paradigm for the Courts (Harrison, Chase, Surh 2000)

In 1997, California introduced its Family Law Facilitator Program to guide unrepresented family litigants through the judicial process.

News: Florida’s Clerk Russell On Opening a New Self Help Center (Florida 2015)

When we saw this inspiring video of Orange Country Florida Clerk of Courts Tiffany Moore Russell opening a brand new Self Help Center, we had to reach out to her.