Marion County courts announce opening of new legal self-help center

At a press conference Tuesday at the Marion County Courthouse, Judge George Lackey and Circuit Clerk Ronda Yates announced the opening of a new internet-based Marion County Legal Self-Help Center.  The legal self-help center was developed to provide accurate information on Illinois law to the growing number of people who must come to court and represent themselves.  Individuals using the self-help center will be able to access information about a wide variety of civil legal problems, including videos on going to court, court pleadings and information on other legal organizations. For those people who have access to a computer with an internet connection, the center is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at http://marion.illinoislegalaid.org. “We want everyone to have an attorney to represent them in court, if at all possible.  In a number of instances, people are not able to afford an attorney.  Our local legal aid, Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance, has far more requests for service than it can meet either with its staff attorneys or its volunteer attorneys,” said Judge Lackey.  “In those situations where people must come to court on their own, the legal self-help center will provide them with useful information and pleadings for a number of simpler civil legal problems,” he said.  “All too often, unrepresented people show up in court with little idea about how the court system works or what they need to do.  For those people who are willing to take the time, the Marion County Legal Self-Help Center will provide helpful information and guidance, including legal forms,” Judge Lackey said. The Circuit Clerk’s office will also begin handing out a sheet to unrepresented litigants which identifies possible sources to obtain legal help. “The clerks in my office meet people each day who need legal information and until now, we did not have a place to refer them,” said Ronda Yates, Circuit Clerk.   “Because we are not lawyers and because we are a part of the court system, we cannot provide assistance to these people,” she said.  “With the new legal self-help center, we now have a place where people can go to get information on simpler civil legal problems,” Yates said.  “This will be a great help to many people,” she said. For those people who do not have access to a computer with an internet connection, public access computers are available at the Bryan-Bennett Library in Salem as well as at the Centralia Regional Library District and the Kinmundy Public Library during regular business hours.  Branch libraries in Sandoval and Odin are also participating in this project.  Librarians will help new users navigate the internet-based legal self-help center. “The public libraries in Marion County were quick to agree to participate in this project when Judge Lackey invited them.  Libraries are the first place that people go to find information in many areas and adding the legal self-help center as a resource is an excellent fit with the missions of the participating libraries,” said Joseph Dailing, Executive Director of the Illinois Coalition for Equal Justice.  “The libraries have been enthusiastic and key partners in this project along with P.A.V.E. and S.A.F.E.  The leadership role taken by the court system and Judge Lackey and Circuit Clerk Ronda Yates have been critical to getting the center up and running,” he said. The center is a result of the collaboration of a number of people and organizations in the county including the Marion County Circuit Court and the Circuit Clerk’s Office, the Bryan-Bennett Library in Salem, the Centralia Regional Library District, the Kinmundy Library, Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance, P.A.V.E. and S.A.F.E.. Funding for the Marion County Legal Self-Help Center comes from a grant from the Illinois Bar Foundation. The Marion County Legal Self-Help Center (http://marion.illinoislegalaid.org) will feature a welcoming video from Chief Judge Gene Schwarm of the Fourth Judicial Circuit.  The homepage also lists six legal topics of most interest to self-represented litigants.  Other legal information can be found by using the search bar at the bottom of the page. “Illinois Legal Aid Online will continue to maintain the website on which the Marion County Legal Self-Help Center is based,” said Stacie Colston, Outreach Coordinator for Illinois Legal Aid Online.  “We are constantly trying to improve the website, add new information and update current information on a regular basis,” she said.  “We are proud to help Marion County set up its own center and we look forward to an ongoing relationship with the court and the participating libraries,” Ms. Colston said. The Marion County Legal Self-Help Center is the thirty-ninth such center opened in Illinois since 2007.   Illinois Legal Aid Online and the Illinois Coalition for Equal Justice provided technical support and assistance to the Planning Committee of Marion County.