We were curious as to the status of online court help to the self-represented litigants as a good 2021 year-end wrapup article for the CTB? We share what we found below.
In addition, we just learned of a new NIJ study on the use of Chatbots in the Criminal Justice System to add to our list of online helpers.
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For reference, an earlier list was compiled by the legaltechdesign.com website in 2018 and posted at: https://www.legaltechdesign.com/2018/06/legal-help-websites/
The following list was compiled December 13-15, 2021.
Alabama - they have posted tutorials for garnishments, juvenile motions and notice of appeals at their AlaFile Quick Tips web page: https://efile.alacourt.gov/alafile-quick-tips/
Alaska has posted TrueFiling videos and user guides along with a telephone help number at: http://www.courts.alaska.gov/efiling/users.htm#guide-videos
The Arizona courts have provided AZTurboCourt guided forms that are listed at: https://www.azcourts.gov/efilinginformation/Forms-Assembly-Information They also have posted a link to the court's Self Service Center at: https://www.azcourts.gov/selfservicecenter/Forms with an emphasis on Covid-19 eviction matters.
Arkansas offers an online system to pay traffic tickets or set up a scheduled payment plan using a credit card at: https://pay.arcourts.gov/pay/
The California courts have had their Self-Help Center online for many years at: https://www.courts.ca.gov/selfhelp.htm And they have an announcement that they are working on a new step-by-step format that one can preview here.
Colorado courts have a dedicated page for "Efiling for Non-Attorneys" at: https://www.courts.state.co.us/Administration/Unit.cfm?Unit=efilenoaty There are links to forms and video/written tutorials listed.
One can register as a self-represented party for the Connecticut Judicial Branch E-Services at: https://www.jud.ct.gov/external/super/E-Services/efile/ Connecticut also provides "Court Services Centers" in all their Superior Courthouses. More on this is shared at: https://www.jud.ct.gov/csc/default.htm
The Delaware Courts have posted a large number of video and user manual training materials for their eFlex E-filing system for all at: https://courts.delaware.gov/efiling/eflextraining.aspx The court also offers online payment and many related services such as detailed information on Child Support at: https://courts.delaware.gov/family/support/
The District of Columbia Courts has their excellent Family Court Self-Help Center and Forms Help Online linked at: https://www.dccourts.gov/services/family-matters/self-help-center
Florida courts have posted a great amount of "Self-Help Information on their website with specific links for Family Law matters along with Guardianship, Probate, Landlord/Tenant and other matters at:https://www.flcourts.org/Resources-Services/Court-Improvement/Self-Help-Information And the Florida E-filing portal provides links to their certified third-party vendors who in turn have guided/online forms that they can E-file at: https://www.myflcourtaccess.com/authority/certifiedthirdpartyvendors.html
The Georgia Courts gateway has links to many resources including "A2J Resources" at: https://georgiacourts.gov/a2j/self-help-resources-highlighted-by-a2j/ The website has links to legal aid resources along with those for working law libraries and to their court based and Georgia State University Center for Access to Justice. https://georgiacourts.gov/
The Guam Judiciary has compiled their forms and links to the Guam Legal Service Interactive Interviews website at: http://www.guamsupremecourt.com/Forms/Judiciary-of-Guam-Forms.html They also provide a detailed instruction document for "pro se" protection orders on the site that can be downloaded at: http://www.guamsupremecourt.com/Forms/images/ProSeOrderofProtectionInstructions.pdf
The Hawai'i Judiciary has their Self-Help resource page online at: https://www.courts.state.hi.us/self-help/help They have also provided an excellent JEFS Training and Information page with forms and rules for their E-filing system at: https://www.courts.state.hi.us/jefs-training-and-information And in response to the Covid-19 emergency they created a Document Drop-Off Service specifically for "any member of the public who has court business and is not an attorney" at: https://www.courts.state.hi.us/document-drop-off-an-online-service
Idaho courts use the iCourt Guide and File system to service the self-represented. The number of forms/filings for the self-represented is extensive and listed at: https://idaho.tylerhost.net/SRL/SRL Idaho Judicial Branch also has made their Court Assistance Office and Self-Help Center available at: https://courtselfhelp.idaho.gov/
The Illinois Judiciary links to their Supreme Court's Commission on Access to Justice web page at: https://atjil.org/ We also very much like their first-level "buttons" to "Start a Case", "Respond to a Case", "Appeal a Case", and "Get Court Forms", and more style elements. Very well done.
Indiana courts use a portal E-filing model that allows the public to choose from several providers. The nice thing about their web page is that it provides a feature comparison page. https://www.in.gov/courts/efiling/providers/
The Iowa Judicial Branch Electronic Filing system provides court forms for free along with information and tutorials on how one can represent themselves at: https://www.iowacourts.gov/for-the-public/representing-yourself/, https://www.iowacourts.gov/efile/, and https://www.iowacourts.gov/efile/efile-resources/
The Kansas Judicial Branch has a page of self-help resources including how to get legal help, finding court forms, information about small claims court, dispute resolution, protection order information and an eviction resources web page. https://www.kscourts.org/Public
The Kentucky Court of Justice has multiple services to help the self-represented linked to their Legal Self-Help page at: https://kycourts.gov/Legal-Help/Pages/default.aspx The page includes multiple tutorials on subjects such as eviction relief, small claims, protective orders, and an online glossary of legal terms. There are also links to legal forms, civil legal aid programs, and mediation services, and efiling: https://kycourts.gov/pages/index.aspx
The Louisiana courts are served by the Louisiana Bar Foundation LouisianaLawHelp.org website that in turn addresses many topics. For more see: https://louisianalawhelp.org/issues/representing-yourself-audio-guides-forms-more/family-law-forms-multimedia-presentations
The Maine Judicial Branch has its eCourts website available to the public that is beginning to include the Guide & File function that provides "an interactive, web-based application that files court documents electronically by walking an individual through a series of questions called an "interview." Guide & File is designed for parties who are not represented by an attorney at: https://www.courts.maine.gov/ecourts/guide-and-file.html These services are being rolled out statewide. Additional help is available across a number of subjects at: https://www.courts.maine.gov/help/index.html
The Maryland Courts have posted a web page for the E-filing public (https://www.courts.state.md.us/mdec/efilingpublic) that answers common questions and provides links to resources. The web site also highlights the local court help centers - https://www.courts.state.md.us/helpcenter that provide telephone and in-person assistance.
The Massachusetts Courts has their Self-Help page posted at: https://www.mass.gov/topics/courts-self-help that covers family matters, guardianship, housing matters, abuse & harassment, protection orders, probate, appeals, consumer protection, name changes, small claims, and even traffic tickets.
The Michigan Courts have their self-represented litigants page at: https://www.courts.michigan.gov/resources-for/the-public/self-represented-litigants/ It also provides links to the Michigan Legal Help website at: https://michiganlegalhelp.org/ And interestingly, the court has created a "Learning Center" as a resource for educators around the state. https://www.mass.gov/topics/courts-self-help
The Minnesota courts have a detailed page on their Self-Help Centers that provide not only location information but also tools and resources, law, rules & legal research, and how to find legal advice clinics. Minnesota also provides a Guide and File capability that "helps you create court forms in certain types of cases" at: https://www.mncourts.gov/Help-Topics/Guide-and-File.aspx And the court has provided training videos for their e-filing system at: https://odysseyfileandserve.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/sections/360010234812
The Mississippi Judiciary has posted their civil legal assistance resources at: https://courts.ms.gov/Legal/CivilLegal.php The site contains court forms, information fee waivers, and legal aid attorneys available by phone along with a schedule of civil legal clinics. They have also posted "youth court videos" to provide information on the court processes at: https://courts.ms.gov/trialcourts/youthcourt/youthcourtvideos.php And, the courts also connect to the Mississippi Access to Justice website at: http://www.msatjc.org/
The Missouri Judicial Branch has multiple links on its home page for self-help titled "representing yourself in a family law case" at: https://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=5240 And their eFiling Missouri website has training and faq's available at: https://www.courts.mo.gov/page.jsp?id=46542
Montana's Judicial Branch has a Court Help Program page posted at: https://courts.mt.gov/SelfHelp/ In-person help can be scheduled by phone or email. Guides on resources and legal information and a pointer to Montana Law Help legal services (https://www.montanalawhelp.org/) are also available.
The Nebraska Judicial Branch has an extensive "Online Legal Self-Help Center" posted at: https://supremecourt.nebraska.gov/self-help Subjects highlighted on the page include Estates, Families & Children, Guardians & Conservators, Renter/Landlord and much more including E-filing and E-payment information.
The Nevada Courts Self Help Center website is located at: https://selfhelp.nvcourts.gov/ From there links to Clark and Washoe (Reno) Legal Aid Centers listed. Links to additional legal resources in Nevada are listed at: https://www.familylawselfhelpcenter.org/community-resources/legal-resources
The excellent New Hampshire Judicial Branch Self-Help website is located at: https://www.courts.nh.gov/self-help There are multiple video tutorials as well as a guide for "getting started", "preparing for court", a FAQ, and information on alternatives to court. E-filing services for attorneys and self-represented are available at: https://www.courts.nh.gov/resources/electronic-services
New Jersey Courts have an extensive Self-Help Center website is located at: https://www.njcourts.gov/selfhelp/index.html The NJ courts provide a "Judiciary Electronic Document Submission" (JEDS) portal that can be used by the self-represented. For more see: https://www.njcourts.gov/selfhelp/jeds.html
The New Mexico Courts created what I would call a "Self-Help Portal" that links to all the individual court self-help pages by level and district at: https://self-help.nmcourts.gov/. There are also links to additional help sites, forms. and their guide and file eFiling system.
New York State Unified Court System has put information regarding their Covid-19 pandemic procedures front and center in December, 2021 when we did this compilation (https://www.nycourts.gov/index.shtml). From there is a link to their courthelp web page (https://www.nycourts.gov/courthelp/ ) that "can help you when you don't have a lawyer". There is a lot of information there.
The North Carolina Judicial Branch links a good number of Help Topics directly from their home page. The full list is available at: https://www.nccourts.gov/help-topics We particularly liked the link "Going to Court" that provides courthouse locations, the ability to "find my court date", and instructions for preparing for jury service at: https://www.nccourts.gov/going-to-court And, North Carolina also uses the Guide & File system (https://www.nccourts.gov/services#ecourts-guide-amp-file-8964 ) for their e-filing services.
The State of North Dakota Courts have a "Legal Self-Help Center" available at: https://www.ndcourts.gov/legal-self-help Legal research, small claims court, district court civil, juvenile court, guardianships, and conservatorships, landlords and tenants, family law, and name changes are major topics of the website.
The Supreme Court of Ohio has posted an Access to Justice Resources web page at: https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/JCS/courtSvcs/justiceAccess/resources/default.asp In addition local courts have created their own Self-Help information websites such as Franklin County Municipal Court (https://municipalcourt.franklincountyohio.gov/SELFHELP ) and the 10th District Court (in Columbus) Self-Help website at https://tenthdistrictcourt.org/Self-Help And the Ohio Judicial Conference has posted a large number of legal help resource links on their website at: http://www.ohiojudges.org/other-links
The Oklahoma Courts have provided help via their Access to Justice Commission on the website as a quick link (https://www.oscn.net/v4/quicklinks/ ). Help is available for creating protective orders, child support forms, and legal aid self-help forms which is a good resource (https://oklaw.org/legal-aid-self-help-forms ).
Oregon's Judicial Branch has an online Self-Help Center posted at: https://www.courts.oregon.gov/help/Pages/default.aspx The website covers a large number of topics and include links to Interactive Forms using Guide and File at: https://www.courts.oregon.gov/services/online/Pages/iforms.aspx#
The Unified Judicial Branch of Pennsylvania has links to online fine and fee payment, forms, and e-filing on their webpage at: https://www.pacourts.us/ In addition https://PALawHelp.org has a great deal of self-help information on their website.
The Poder Judicial de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico Courts) has posted a list of services including links to their court "power forms" (https://www.poderjudicial.pr/index.php/formularios/), laws and regulations, and an online request for information or documents at: https://www.poderjudicial.pr/index.php/servicios-a-la-comunidad/
The Rhode Island Judiciary displays their Self-Help Center and Public eService Access prominently on their home page at: https://www.courts.ri.gov/Pages/default.aspx A snapshot of the page is shown below:
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The South Carolina Judicial Branch has its Self Help Resouces page at: https://www.sccourts.org/selfhelp/ The bilingual web page has information on expungement and pardons, alternatives to guardianship, links to simple divorce, child support, visitation, and petition for relief packets. There is also a video "Your Day in Circuit Court" that provides an orientation to the courts. Interactive Forms and online legal research are also available.
The Unified Judicial System of South Dakota has its eServices linked to the main web page at: https://ujs.sd.gov/ South Dakota Legal Self-help is linked from the page at: https://ujslawhelp.sd.gov/
The Tennessee State Courts self-help center is available at: https://www.tncourts.gov/programs/self-help-center In addition the page has a link to the "Justice for All Website" with videos and many resources at: https://justiceforalltn.com/
The Texas Judicial branch has self-help web pages at: https://www.txcourts.gov/programs-services/self-help/ and https://www.txcourts.gov/programs-services/self-help/self-represented-litigants/ The eFile Texas system uses service providers that are user selected. Several of these services include guided forms as part of the eFiling process. For example, USLegalPro has guided forms for divorce, name change, eviction, and small claims.
The Utah Courts have a massive amount of self-help resources posted at: https://www.utcourts.gov/selfhelp/
The Vermont Judiciary has an online self-help center with a great amount of information posted at: https://www.vermontjudiciary.org/self-help
The Virginia Judicial System, Access to Justice Commission posted their Self-Help website at: https://selfhelp.vacourts.gov/ In addition with VA Law Help 2 Go mobile website provides video tutorials and more to help the self-represented at: http://www.valawhelp2go.org/
The Judicial Branch of the US Virgin Islands has a great page for Pro Se Litigants posted at: https://www.vicourts.org/for_litigants
The Washington Courts have linked to Self-Help Resources from their home page (https://www.courts.wa.gov/) at: https://www.courts.wa.gov/?fa=home.home&tab=legalRes with more info available at: https://www.courts.wa.gov/newsinfo/index.cfm?fa=newsinfo.displayContent&theFile=content/selfhelp
The West Virginia Judiciary provides public resources by county, circuit, and for family court circuits at: http://www.courtswv.gov/public-resources/court-information-by-county.html
The Wisconsin Court System has a "services for the public" web page posted at: https://www.wicourts.gov/services/public/index.htm with a dedicated self-help law center online resource located at: https://www.wicourts.gov/services/public/selfhelp/index.htm
Wyoming's Judicial Branch has a Legal Assistance and Self-Help Forms web page located at: https://www.courts.state.wy.us/legal-assistances-and-forms/
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