Introducing the Family Law Forms Drafting Lab
By Sarah deQuay,
On any given day, the majority of King Couty Law Library’s (KCLL) pro se patrons come to us with family law questions. Fortunately, between the myriad of state and local resources online, in the courthouse, and in the library, these folks can access many required court forms and how-to materials on their own. However, very few courthouse procedures are even remotely straightforward or user-friendly, especially for non-attorneys representing themselves. At the library, we work with many whose cases end up delayed — and therefore setting back the courts — due to understandable mistakes and misinterpretations of legal processes. Because of this, we collaborated with the KCBA to create our Family Law Forms Drafting Lab.
We started the Lab in the Spring of 2023 as an initiative coordinated by KCLL staff, with help from a couple law student volunteers and a sole volunteer attorney. Since the Lab’s inception, we have cultivated a space where pro se patrons can ask questions while completing the family law forms they intend to file with the court. Our Lab is different than other legal clinics because our volunteers generally do not give legal advice. They simply provide clarity to ordinary individuals working on some of the most important decisions and challenges they may have ever faced. This usually means our volunteers explain legalese and procedures in understandable ways and prepare helpful next step “To-Do” lists.
One year into our Lab’s work, our team is still small yet mighty. Currently, we have three regular volunteer attorneys along with a crew of SU Law School interns, who join us every Tuesday. Our Lab has helped around 30 people each month. One of our newest volunteer attorneys, Nikole Hecklinger, said this about her experience working with the lab:
“I started volunteering at the KCLL Family Law Forms Lab this year after spending 2023 as a temporary superior court commissioner and getting a judicial perspective of unrepresented individuals in family court cases. I hoped to help parties better understand the forms and processes they were going through in their divorce, parenting plans, and child support matters. I have had the opportunity to work with people from varied backgrounds and in different situations. Some had done substantial work on their forms and had a few final questions, while others were at the very beginning of the process. Sometimes, we have had follow-up sessions after an initial meeting and saw attendees making progress. I have had novel issues arise, allowing me to grow as a lawyer while helping others. The Lab is an important part of the network of services, including court clerks, family law facilitators, and civil legal aid for unrepresented individuals in family law cases. I think the Lab not only serves the individuals who come in for help but, ultimately, the court by making sure the individuals are presenting properly prepared materials.”
As is true for most free legal assistance programs, the need for services is ever-present. Likewise, this need always seems to outweigh available resources. The Court will always need to work with pro se patrons, especially in family law cases. Because of this, we have many goals for expanding our Lab as time goes on. To begin, we are working to create more robust training materials for volunteer attorneys and law students who commit their time with us. Additionally, our staff is exploring ideas to add virtual assistance to supplement our current in-person Lab. We also hope to open a Lab in our Kent branch, located in the Maleng Regional Justice Center. To achieve these goals, we need to amplify our outreach in the Seattle legal community. Our lab simply could not function without the attorneys and law students who volunteer their time with us. The generous office supply and monetary donations, like those we have received from SU’s Family Law Center and Perkins Coie Law Firm, are also beyond invaluable.
If you are interested in volunteering your time, making a donation to expand the Lab’s outreach, or have any questions, please contact us at services@kcll.org. We would love to collaborate with you!
Sarah deQuay is the Outreach Services Attorney at the King County Law Library.
