Time: Wed Sep 03 07:51:50 1997 by primenet.com (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id HAA13208; Wed, 3 Sep 1997 07:50:51 -0700 (MST) by usr05.primenet.com (8.8.5/8.8.5) with SMTP id HAA01741; Wed, 3 Sep 1997 07:47:43 -0700 (MST) Date: Wed, 03 Sep 1997 07:47:43 -0700 To: (Recipient list suppressed) From: Paul Andrew Mitchell [address in tool bar] Subject: SLS: Legal Help Goes Online <snip> > >Journal Newspapers > >Legal Help Goes Online >At nonprofit library > >By JAMES FRANKLIN >Associated Press > >BALTIMORE - Do-it-yourselfers who have taken up a wrench to fix the plumbing >or their cars can now try a new field: law. > >Since The People's Law Library of Maryland went online in January, thousands >of people have sought answers about legal matters or advice on how to >represent themselves, said site founder Richard Granat. > >The nonprofit library includes information on a wide range of topics, from >divorce to employment law to landlord-tenant issues. The site also includes >a discussion group in which lawyers answer specific questions. > >``It's a neat tool. I think more people need to know about this,'' said >Steve Kondrchek, a former Elkton resident who said he won a child support >wrangle without having to hire an attorney. > >After his eldest daughter came to live with him in Indiana, Kondrchek said >he wanted to reduce his child support payments to his ex-wife. Through the >law library Web site, he was able to fill out the proper forms and got a >credit for overpaying child support from the time his daughter came to live >with him. > >Granat also founded another Web site, the Divorce Law Information Center, >that sells divorce ``kits,'' which include all the necessary forms from a >number of states and directions on filling them out. > >``In Maryland, it's easy to represent yourself [in divorce cases] if you >have these forms,'' said Granat, an adjunct professor at the University of >Maryland School of Law and head of the Center for Law Practice Technology in >Columbia. > >Kimberly Nolan said she found the site extremely useful. She searched the >People's Law Library for information on how to divorce her husband, who left >without a trace six months ago. > >Nolan, an administrator at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, said she >couldn't afford a lawyer's help because her husband left her deep in debt. >Through the Web site she learned that after two years, she can file for >divorce herself without having to serve papers to her husband. And she >learned this for free. > >Another source is the American Pro Se Association's Web site, which contains >instructions on how to answer complaints, serve a summons and other legal >procedures. > >This site has resources tailored mostly to New Jersey, New York, >Pennsylvania and California laws. > >The American Bar Association doesn't discourage these legal information >sources, said William Hornsby, staff counsel for the ABA. > >Hornsby said some regions had problems with for-profit services that were >dispensing bad advice. So, districts such as Maricopa County, Ariz., and >Ventura County, Calif., formed their own legal resource centers to ensure >the advice being given followed the law. > >These counties also have Web sites that allow users to download copies of >forms, and even give directions on how to calculate child support. > >Do-it-yourselfers should confine their legal work to uncontested matters, >Hornsby said, which are often much less complicated. > >But some experts think even the simplest matters should be left to >professionals. > >The Maryland State Bar Association always recommends that people seek help >from a lawyer, said Janet Eveleth, the association's director of >communications. > >``It may appear simple when they're looking into [representing >themselves],'' Eveleth said. ``But they may make mistakes that come back to >haunt them.'' > >People who can't afford legal fees should look to nonprofit groups for pro >bono lawyers who can serve specific needs, Eveleth said. > >The Internet addresses for the People's Law Library of Maryland is: >www.peoples-law.com The Divorce Law Information Center is: >www.divorcelawinfo.com. American Pro Se Association is at: >www.legalhelp.org. ======================================================================== Paul Andrew Mitchell : Counselor at Law, federal witness B.A., Political Science, UCLA; M.S., Public Administration, U.C. Irvine tel: (520) 320-1514: machine; fax: (520) 320-1256: 24-hour/day-night email: [address in tool bar] : using Eudora Pro 3.0.3 on 586 CPU website: http://www.supremelaw.com : visit the Supreme Law Library now ship to: c/o 2509 N. Campbell, #1776 : this is free speech, at its best Tucson, Arizona state : state zone, not the federal zone Postal Zone 85719/tdc : USPS delays first class w/o this As agents of the Most High, we came here to establish justice. We shall not leave, until our mission is accomplished and justice reigns eternal. ======================================================================== [This text formatted on-screen in Courier 11, non-proportional spacing.]
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