Administrative Office of the Courts Launches New Webpage to Aid Litigants Without Lawyers

Administrative Office of the Courts Launches New Webpage to Aid Litigants Without Lawyers

The Administrative Office of the Courts' (AOC) Equity and Access Program has recently launched Self-Help Washington (SHW) to provide accessible resources to help people without lawyers navigate Washington Courts.

The 2022 Justice Gap Report found that low-income Americans do not get sufficient help for 92% of their civil legal needs such as family law, housing and debt collection, and that approximately 75% of civil cases involve at least one unrepresented litigant. This disparity made online resources more necessary to help self-represented litigants be able to prepare themselves for legal matters.

SHW is one of AOC's tools to address this access to justice gap.

"Self-Help Washington makes it easier for people to understand and navigate the court system," said Kelsey Jandoc, a Court Program Analyst for the Equity and Access Program. "The site helps individuals find court resources and support, prepare for hearings, and connect with legal help. Self-represented litigants can also learn how to request an interpreter or disability accommodations, and access helpful videos on topics ranging from basic legal terms to using Zoom for a court hearing."

SHW is an ongoing work in progress with more resources and topics having already been added since launch.

Current topics and resources include:

• The Americans with Disabilities Act
• Adult Guardianship
• Getting Legal Help
• Court Preparation Tips
• Finding Court Records
• Connecting with Courthouse Facilitators
• Eviction and Housing Issues
• Video Resources
• Tribal Courts.

Upcoming features will include translation to multiple languages, a legal glossary, a list of language access coordinators, a visual case process guide and more.

A major goal of SHW is to provide individuals with needed resources that are complementary to the work of Washington Law Help, a public library of free legal information in Washington State maintained by the Northwest Justice Project. SHW capitalizes on the AOC's and Equity and Access Team's proximity to and connection with the courts, helping to bridge the resource gaps by providing statewide information on courts and court processes.

The project began in 2019 through a Superior Court Judges' Association (SCJA) workgroup which was comprised of justice system stakeholders who made a recommendation to create an online portal for self-represented litigants. As courts shifted to virtual platforms during the pandemic, the need for accessible online resources became even more urgent. Since 2022, the Equity and Access Team has made it a top priority to build on SCJA's vision - ensuring that all self-represented litigants can access clear, equitable court information.

Contact: Patric Haerle, Communications Officer, [email protected], 360-712-1892; Kelsey Jandoc, Self-Help Washington Lead, [email protected].