Neighborhood Legal Services (NLS) of Los Angeles County runs three Self-Help Legal Access Centers in Los Angles County providing legal support and assistance to Pro Se litigants. In less than two years, Van Nuys Self Help Legal Access Centers' staff provided high-quality legal assistance to more than 25,000 self-represented litigants. Located adjacent to the courthouse, the Van Nuys Self Help Legal Access Center is a comprehensive self-help center that provides assistance to litigants in small claims, evictions, family law, wage claims and employment problems as well as other civil litigation. All staff are bilingual in English and Spanish. Full-time staff members supervise staff volunteers who regularly work at the center.
Staff guide self-represented litigants through the court system by providing crucial support ranging from assisting in the completion of court forms to providing self-represented litigants with suggestions on what one should say before the judge. The center offers a vast array of bilingual brochures and documents such as tips on how to be a good translator to what needs to be done on your trial day. The Self-Help Centers are equipped with internet access and computerized court forms to facilitate more efficient assistance. Two new self help centers are scheduled to open in the near future. One will be located in Inglewood, California and the other in Pomona, California. To learn more about this project, access the sample materials below as PDF documents. NLS' website is available at: http://www.nls-la.org/.
Contact Information:
Caron Caines Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County 13327 Van Nuys Boulevard Pacoima, CA 91331-3099 Phone: (818) 834-7512 Fax: (818) 834-7540 Email
LSC:
America's Partner for Equal Justice 