As a young person travelling in England, an iconic memory was hearing the sonorous English voice telling me to “Mind the Gap” in the tube station. A nice bit of nostalgia but it also puts me in mind of the gaps that we face when trying to provide truly effective service to those who are representing themselves in legal proceedings. While there are plenty of resources to help pro ses, there are just as many gaps that make it difficult for people to advocate for themselves.
Self-Represented Litigant Workshop Series
One of the first things that struck me when I started working with pro se litigants at KCLL was that many folks were operating in a vacuum with no real sense of the how the litigation process works or why. It occurred to me that pro ses could really use an introductory civil procedure class. To that end, the law library joined forces with fabulous volunteer attorney Jeff Cowan to create the class, Civil Litigation without Tears: The Basics of Representing Yourself in Court. While the class might be more accurately called Civil Litigation with Fewer Tears, it is a 90-minute dive into the court rules, deadlines, and procedures that pro ses are most likely to encounter. After taking the Basics class, attendees were clamoring for other classes. I knew we were on to something if people sat through 90 minutes of civ pro and wanted more! Jeff and KCLL developed a series of four additional Advanced classes including: The Nuts and Bolts of Motions, Discover Discovery, Examining Evidence, and Preparing for Trial: The Basics of Getting Ready for Court.
Mind the Gap: Volunteer to Teach SRL Workshops!
Alas, Jeff has moved to sunnier climes, and we are now looking for volunteer attorneys to teach the workshops. Each of the workshops is designed with a prepared lecture, accompanying PowerPoint, and handout packet including templates of relevant forms. Teaching would involve very little preparation time. Depending on the teacher’s preference, the class can be taught in-person, on-line, or hybrid. Jeff really enjoyed teaching the workshops and I’m sure others will too. If you would like to volunteer or know someone who you think would like to help, please let us know.
Family Law Forms Drafting Labs
The most requested service from our non-attorney patrons is for help finding forms. The second most requested service is for help filling out the forms. The law library partnered with KCBA, Seattle U. Law School’s Family Law Center, and King County Family Law Facilitators (FLIC) to launch the Family Law Forms Drafting Lab. Patrons can go to FLIC’s help desk to discuss their family law issue and obtain the appropriate form packet. The drafting lab is available for help filing out the forms. Currently the drafting lab is one day per week in Seattle but we’re hoping to expand to one day per week in Kent as well. The idea behind the drafting lab is that patrons will work on their forms in a group setting (with the understanding that there is no expectation of privacy or confidentiality and no attorney/ client relationship). As questions arise, they can flag down one of the law student interns from the SU Family Law Help Center who will then answer the question or send it along to the volunteer attorney. This format allows more people to be helped simultaneously and has the synergistic effect of allowing others with similar questions to benefit from hearing the answer.
Mind the Gap: Volunteer at the Drafting Lab!
While familiarity with the basics of family law is helpful for the drafting lab, it is certainly not required. In fact, many of the questions are quite basic and are often answered by simply reading the question on the form back to the person or are questions dealing with general procedural issues that are not family law specific. We are hoping to get a cohort of attorneys for a substitute pool to cover gaps in the drafting lab schedule. Our attorney and interns who are currently working with the drafting lab have found it very enjoyable and rewarding. The patrons are grateful for the assistance. If you would like to volunteer or know someone who you think would like to help, please let us know.
Stuffie Adoption Agency
We get many kids that come through the law library and not always under the happiest of circumstances. Sydney Hayes, a young friend of the library recently set up the KCLL Stuffie Adoption Agency for our youngest patrons to find a friend to take home with them.
Mind the Gap: Bring Us Your Stuffies!
If you have new or almost new stuffies that are looking for new homes, please send them our way. We’re happy to include them in our stuffie family.
Questions?
If you have questions about the SRL Workshops, the Family Law Forms Drafting Lab or the Stuffie Adoption Agency please contact us at services@KCLL.org. And please remember . . . Mind the Gap!
