SRLs – A Start

For those of you interested in learning where to start to learn more about self-represented litigants in South Carolina, here’s my cheat sheet:

Resources

1.         Online

A.  South Carolina:

• http://www.sccourts.org/forms/indexSelfHelp.cfm – The South Carolina Courts official site for Self Help Resources.
• http://lawhelp.org/sc – South Carolina’s Guide to free legal services. LawHelp South Carolina is a project of South Carolina Legal Services and the Legal Services Corporation.
• http://www.scb.uscourts.gov/prose_before.html – The United States Bankruptcy Court District of South Carolina offers information to those filing without an attorney, including a video Bankruptcy Basics Video Presentation for Pro Se Filers.

B.  National:

• http://www.selfhelpsupport.org/ – Members include judges, clerks, court staff, legal aid advocates, bar association representatives, law school faculty, researchers, and others who work to increase access to justice.
• http://www.srln.org/ – The Self-Represented Litigation Network brings together courts and access to justice organizations in support of innovations in services for the self represented
• http://devlegacy.ncsc.org/WC/CourTopics/ResourceGuide.asp?topic=ProSe – The National Center for State Courts’ Self-Representation Resource Guide.
• http://www.ajs.org/prose/home.asp – The American Judicature Society’s Pro Se Forum.
• http://www.lri.lsc.gov/prose/prose.asp – The Pro Se Section of the Legal Services Corporation Resource Library focuses on practices to help legal services programs empower low-income clients to help themselves through pro se advocacy.
• http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/delivery/delunbund.html – The American Bar Association’s Pro Se/Unbundling Resource Center. This site has been developed as a project of the ABA Standing Committee on the Delivery of Legal Services. It is designed as a resource to help lawyers, bar leaders, the judiciary, court administrators, scholars and the media better understand and critically analyze the issues involved in self-representation and unbundled legal services.

C.  Other States:

• http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp/ – The California Courts Online Self-Help Center which helps self-represented litigants find assistance and information, work better with an attorney, and represent themselves in some legal matters.
• http://www.legalhotlines.org/ – AARP’s Florida senior Legal Helpline Honored by State Coalition.

2.         Attachments

• http://www.aallnet.org/products/HowToResearchLegalProblem.pdf – How to Research a Legal Problem: A Guide for Non-Lawyers published by the American Association of Law Libraries.

I’m sure there will be more to come, but this should give you a start!

And many thanks to probono.net for supporting many of these platforms.

-RFW

Filed under: 1, Court, Law, Law Related Education, Legal, Legal Clinic, Legal Documents, Legal Drafting, Legalese, Plain English, Plain Language, Right to Counsel, South Carolina, South Carolina Access to Justice Commission, South Carolina Bar Foundation, South Carolina Court Administration, South Carolina Courts, South Carolina Legal Services, South Carolina Supreme Court, access to justice, access to justice blog, attorney, blog, court innovation, indigent, law librarians, legal aid, poverty, pro bono, public interest attorney, self-represented litigant , AALL, ABA, American Association of Law Libraries, lawhelp.org/sc, pro se, sc courts, Self-Help Resources, self-represented litigants, SRLs, The American Bar Association's Pro Se/Unbundling Resource Center, The American Judicature Society's Pro Se Forum, The Nation Center for State Courts' Self-Representation Resource Guide, The Pro Se Section of the Legal Services Corporation Resource Library, www.sccourts.org, www.selfhelpsupport.org, www.srln.org

Last Week to Nominate for Ellen Hines Smith Award

You have until November 15th to nominate a South Carolina Legal Services attorney for the Ellen Hines Smith Award.

This year the award event is especially exciting because it will take place during the South Carolina Bar Foundation’s Annual Gala on March 11, 2010.

I can’t wait to learn who receives the award!

-RFW

earlier post

Filed under: 1, Law, Legal, Right to Counsel, South Carolina, South Carolina Access to Justice Commission, South Carolina Bar, South Carolina Bar Foundation, South Carolina Legal Services, access to justice, access to justice blog, attorney, blog, indigent, legal aid, poverty, public interest attorney , 1, access to justice, access to justice blog, attorney, Award, blog, Ellen Hines Smith, Ellen Hines Smith Award Nominations, Law, Legal, March 11 2010, public interest attorney, Right to Counsel, SAVE THE DATE, SC access to justice commission, SC ATJ Commission, SC Bar Foundation, SC Bar Foundation Gala, SCLS, South Carolina, South Carolina Access to Justice Commission, South Carolina Bar Foundation, South Carolina Legal Services

Ask-A-Lawyer One Week from Today

A Celebrate Pro Bono Week Event!

Ask-A-Lawyer

Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Time: 4:45 to 7:45 p.m.

The Ask-A-Lawyer Program coordinates volunteer lawyers for televised phone banks and Web chats in an effort to assist the public with its legal questions.

If you have a legal question, please call WIS-TV at (803) 758-1020 during the hours indicated. You may also write to an attorney via an online chat room by clicking the icon at www.scbar.org/aal. If you need legal advice, please contact the South Carolina Bar Lawyer Referral Service at 800-868-2284 or call the Legal Aid Telephone Intake Service (LATIS) at 888-346-2284.

The Ask-A-Lawyer program is made possible by the South Carolina Bar Foundation, Inc.

From the SC Bar website!

-RFW

Filed under: 1, Ask-A-Lawyer, IOLTA, Law, Legal, Legal Clinic, Right to Counsel, Rule of Law, SC Bar, South Carolina, South Carolina Access to Justice Commission, South Carolina Bar, South Carolina Bar Foundation, South Carolina Bar Pro Bono Program, WIS TV, access to justice, access to justice blog, advocacy, attorney, blog, indigent, legal aid, poverty, pro bono, public interest attorney , AAL, Ask-A-Lawyer, Celebrate Pro Bono Week, LATIS, Legal Aid Telephone Intake Service, SC Bar Foundation, SC Bar Lawyer Referral Service, WIS TV

Ellen Hines Smith Award Nominations OPEN!

The Ellen Hines Smith Award Nominations are now open! Click Ellen Hines Smith Nomination Form for the nomination form with instructions.

Nominations will remain open until November 15^th.

The Award winner will be decided by a joint awards committee of the SC Bar Foundation and SC ATJ Commission. The Award will be jointly presented at SC Bar Foundation Gala on March 11, 2010, so be sure to SAVE THE DATE.

Filed under: 1, Law, Legal, Right to Counsel, South Carolina, South Carolina Access to Justice Commission, South Carolina Bar Foundation, South Carolina Legal Services, access to justice, access to justice blog, attorney, blog, public interest attorney , Award, Ellen Hines Smith, Ellen Hines Smith Award Nominations, March 11 2010, SAVE THE DATE, SC access to justice commission, SC ATJ Commission, SC Bar Foundation, SC Bar Foundation Gala, SCLS, South Carolina Legal Services

Guest Blogger: Cynthia Cothran, LRE Director at the SC Bar

Help make mock trial rock!

Volunteers Needed!

It is that time of year again!

The Law Related Education (LRE) Division is seeking volunteers for its growing mock trial programs, which teach middle and high school students about the legal system through trial role playing. Mock trial volunteers enjoy the thrill of competition while scoring and presiding over trials. LRE not only needs volunteers to score the competitions, but attorney coaches to help prepare the teams.

WANT TO SCORE A COMPETITION?

Competitions Dates and Locations are as follows:

October 31, 2009 Middle School Mock Trial Regional Competitions (Charleston (full), Columbia, Conway and Greenville)

November 21, 2009 Middle School Mock Trial State Competition (Lexington) (full)

February 27, 2010 High School Mock Trial Regional Competitions (Charleston, Columbia, Conway, and Greenville)

March 12-13, 2010 High School Mock Trial State Competition (Columbia)

WANT TO COACH?

If anyone is interested in serving as an attorney coach instead of a scoring judge, there are several high schools that need attorney coaches that are as follows:

Berkeley County: Cane Bay High School

Horry: Carolina Forest High School

Richland: Lower Richland High School, Ridgeview High School, Spring Valley High School

York: Nations Ford High School, Westminster Catawba Christian School

Pickens: D.W. Daniel High School

All mock trial volunteers earn pro bono credit for their hours dedicated to the mock trial program. To learn more or volunteer, contact Cynthia H. Cothran at ccothran@scbar.org or at (803) 252-5139.

Filed under: 1, Law, Law Related Education, Legal, SC Bar, South Carolina, South Carolina Access to Justice Commission, South Carolina Bar, South Carolina Bar Foundation, access to justice, access to justice blog, advocacy, attorney, blog, children, pro bono , Berkeley County, Cane Bay High School, Carolina Forest High School, Charleston, Coaches, Columbia, Conway, Cynthia Cothran, D.W. Daniel High School, Greenville, Guest Blogger, High School, Horry County, Law Related Education, Lexington, Lower Richland High School, LRE, LRE Director at the SC Bar, Middle School, mock trial, Mock Trial Competition, Nations Ford High School, Pickens County, pro bono credit, Richland County, Ridgeview High School, Scoring Judges, Spring Valley High School, volunteers needed, Westminster Catawba Christian School, York County

COMING SOON to a town near you: Celebrate Pro Bono

LOUD & CLEAR: PRO BONO ROCKS

At the end of October, across the nation, attorneys will join together to provide Pro Bono services as part of the American Bar Association’s CELEBRATE PRO BONO WEEK (October 25-31, 2009).

Mark your calendars. The South Carolina Access to Justice Commission will be highlighting some of the featured events, programs or pro bono attorneys on the blog.

If  you have a story to share and would like to be a guest blogger, please email me.

-RFW

Filed under: 1, Ask-A-Lawyer, Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services, Charleston School of Law, Law, Law Related Education, Legal, Legal Clinic, Legal Documents, Legal Drafting, Legalese, Right to Counsel, South Carolina, South Carolina Access to Justice Commission, South Carolina Bar, South Carolina Bar Foundation, South Carolina Bar Pro Bono Program, South Carolina Court Administration, South Carolina Courts, South Carolina Legal Services, South Carolina Supreme Court, USC School of Law, access to justice, access to justice blog, attorney, blog, homeless, indigent, law librarians, law students, legal aid, poverty, pro bono, public interest attorney, self-represented litigant , American Bar Association, Celebrate Pro Bono, October 25-31 2009, Pro Bono Week, SC access to justice commission

August 2009 E-Newsletter

The August 2009 E-Newsletter is now available online.

SCATJC August 2009 E-Newsletter

-RFW

Filed under: Court, Law, Legal, SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center, SC Bar, South Carolina, South Carolina Access to Justice Commission, South Carolina Bar, South Carolina Bar Foundation, South Carolina Bar Pro Bono Program, South Carolina Court Administration, South Carolina Courts, South Carolina Legal Services, South Carolina Supreme Court, access to justice, access to justice blog, blog, court innovation, legal aid, self-represented litigant , August 2009 E-Newsletter, SC access to justice commission, SCATJC

8.24.09 Ask-A-Lawyer: Nosy’s Report

8/24/09 Ask-A-Lawyer Call Center at WLTX

On Monday Night, WLTX became ground zero for ASK-A-LAWYER. We arrived in time to start and learned that the calls had started as early as 4:30 p.m. Once we were shown our call-center, we started answering phones “Ask-A-Lawyer, how may I help you?” while our web counter-parts began their online-duty.

Jeff Goodwyn answers questions at WLTX Ask-A-Lawyer

The 6 on-camera attorneys were Cynthia A. Coker, T. Jeff Goodwyn, Edna Primus, Jennifer W. Rubin, Tana Vanderbilt and Robin F. Wheeler.

Cindy Coker, SC Bar Public Services Director

The phones were ringing non-stop. WLTX graciously provided us with water and chocolate; both of which were appreciated. Darci Strickland and Andrea Mock interviewed us during the session and helped us maintain our energy with their enthusiasm. And at the end of the evening, JR Berry dropped by to thank us for our hard work.

Edna Primus and Tana Vanderbilt field questions

Caller Origin:

• 18 of my 30 calls originated from Richland County;
• 1 from Fairfield;
• 1 from Florence;
• 1 from Greenwood;
• 2 from Kershaw;
• 3 from Lexington;
• 3 from Orangeburg; and
• 1 from Sumter.

Mind you, I had 30 calls total in a 2 1/2 hour span and I even took a moment off the phones for an interview.

Caller Issues:

• 6 questions about Divorce/Alimony
• 5 Child Support/Child Custody and Visitation/Adoption
• 4 Consumer Law including Bankruptcy
• 3 Wills and Estates
• 2 Employment
• 2 Medical Malpractice/Health Care
• 1 Social Security
• 1 Landlord/Tenant
• 1 Homeowners Associations
• 1 Immigration
• 1 Traffic Laws
• 1 question about Taxes; and
• 2 non-legal questions.

Ask-A-Lawyer also included the “web-chat” piece. Three attorneys (Peter M. Balthazor, K. Cameron Currie, and Jennifer L. Locklier) fielded web questions during the same time.

All in all, it was a busy time, but I enjoyed every caller and hope that they felt that they had received a worthy service from us. I will DEFINITELY do this again.

Thanks to SC Bar staff Deborah Morris who coordinates the event, Joey Heape who insures that the web equipment functioned properly, and Elizabeth Martin who popped in for a few photos.

And special thanks to our host station, WLTX. You helped us make this a success!

-NOSY WHEELER

LATE PS – I wish I had asked the name of the camera operator at our station because he was an absolute delight. When he saw us running out of water, he brought the new bottle to us. Thank you Camera Operator!

Filed under: 1, Ask-A-Lawyer, Court, HHS, Health Care, Immigration, Law, Legal, Right to Counsel, Rule of Law, SC Bar, SSDI, SSI, South Carolina, South Carolina Access to Justice Commission, South Carolina Bar, South Carolina Bar Foundation, South Carolina Bar Pro Bono Program, Unemployment, access to justice, access to justice blog, advocacy, attorney, blog, children, divorce, domestic violence, employment, foreclosure, housing, indigent, labor, pro bono, public interest attorney, self-represented litigant, state employment security commission, subprime mortgage crisis, veterans , SC Bar Ask-A-Lawyer, WLTX

Nosy is Back: Ask-A-Lawyer Style

Ask-A-Lawyer

Next Monday (8-24-09), our very own Nosy Wheeler will be participating in the SC Bar’s Ask-A-Lawyer program on Columbia television station WLTX.

If you have a question, please be sure to tune in and take advantage of the legal minds!

August 24, 2009

WLTX – Columbia

4:45-7:45 pm

Call in number: (803) 647-0299

-RFW

Filed under: 1, Ask-A-Lawyer, Law, Legal, Plain English, SC Bar, South Carolina, South Carolina Access to Justice Commission, South Carolina Bar, South Carolina Bar Foundation, South Carolina Bar Pro Bono Program, access to justice, access to justice blog, attorney, public interest attorney , 2009, CBS affiliate, Columbia television, Monday August 24, Nosy Wheeler, SC Bar, SC Bar's Ask-A-Lawyer Program, Volunteer Attorneys, WLTX

Father’s Day Focus: South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families

For the last few weeks, in my daily newspaper, I’ve seen ads reminding me that Father’s Day is coming and I should purchase that special gift for my father.

Happy Fathers Day: Here's a nice tie!

Well, my dad isn’t much for material gifts – goods or services. His repeated message to me is to be a happy, healthy, responsible and well-adjusted adult. And he’s offered me the gift of a stable role model, a provider for my family and someone who is available to talk to when things aren’t going so well or when something brings me joy. I’m lucky to have him in my life.

And that got me thinking, thinking about families where fathers aren’t always around.

Last spring the South Carolina Access to Justice Commission held public hearings around the state. And several fathers, participants in programs with the South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families, spoke up about the legal gaps they encounter.

• Father #1 currently has a wife and four children at home, but also two children from a previous relationship. He pays his monthly child support. He does not have any visitation rights. He asked for help to be able to see his children.
• Father #2 was incarcerated for being in arrears for his child support payments. As a result he was placed into the program and has been diligently working with the program.
• Father #3 meets the federal poverty guidelines even though he is working. He has been diligently paying his child support for 3 years and still does not have any visitation.
• Father #4 paid child support for years without any visitation. He came to the program for assistance with visitation. Communication with his child’s mother was at a stand-still. He was unable to make any headway until he came to the Fatherhood program and learned skills to communicate with his child’s mother. As a result of his new skills, he was finally able to obtain visitation.

Another father participated in the SCETV special program on The Big Picture which focused on the South Carolina Access to Justice Commission and Self-Represented Litigants.

The Center performs a needed service – uniting children with their fathers.  And that’s something good to remember this Father’s Day.

-RFW

For more information about the Center for Fathers and Families, you may want to review the history of the center. The Center was developed from “Reducing Poverty through Father Engagement,” which was launched in 1997.

Filed under: 1, Court, Law, Legal, SCETV, South Carolina, South Carolina Access to Justice Commission, South Carolina Bar Foundation, South Carolina Educational Television, South Carolina Legal Services, South Carolina Supreme Court, The Big Picture, access to justice, access to justice blog, advocacy, attorney, blog, children, court innovation, divorce, poverty, poverty guidelines, self-represented litigant , Father's Day Focus, Happy Father's Day, Reducing Poverty through Father Engagement, SC Center for Fathers and Families, SCETV, self-represented litigants, Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina, South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families, The Big Picture, The State, www.thestate.com