How We Can Help You

Court employees and librarians must be neutral and impartial, and can give legal information.  Only a lawyer representing you can give you legal advice.

We can:

• Provide you with the number of a local lawyer referral service, legal services program or other service where you can get legal help.
• Give you information about law libraries and online resources.
• Explain and answer questions about how the court works.
• Give you general information about court rules, procedures and practices.
• Provide you with available court forms and instructions.
• Provide court schedules and information on how to get a case scheduled.
• Provide you information from your case file.
• Answer some basic questions about court deadlines and how they are determined.
• Provide additional assistance in some circumstances to aid you if you have special needs.
• Provide information, brochures and contact information about mediation and ADR programs in your court.
• Assist you in your own language.

We cannot:

• Tell you whether or not you should bring your case to court.
• Tell you what words to use in your papers. We can, however, check your papers for completeness before you file them.
• Tell you what to say in court.
• Give you an opinion about what will happen if you bring your case to court.
• Talk to the judge for you.
• Let you talk to the judge outside of court.
• Change an order signed by a judge.
• Give you information about a judge’s decision until the judge makes that decision public.
• Give you information that we would be unable or unwilling to give to the other side in your case.
• Interpret court documents or tell you what you “should” do.