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Bar News - September 23, 2005 Judicial Branch Launches ‘Self-Help Center’ on Web site
The Judicial Branch has added a “Self-Help Center” to its Web site at (www.courts.state.nh.us) to assist litigants who come to court without a lawyer. The online “self-help center” provides pro se litigants with comprehensive, user-friendly information about court procedures and available legal services. Links are also available to agencies and organizations that assist people during the court process, including mediation. Forms and step-by-step guidelines for litigants to follow in certain types of cases, such as divorce, are also available on the Web site. The site does not provide legal advice. The section on jury service has been significantly expanded to include information about procedures at individual courts, directions to court locations, information about parking and “Frequently Asked Questions” about jury service. A key new addition is a juror questionnaire that allows prospective jurors to complete the form on a computer, print it out and mail it to the court rather than having to complete the form by hand. A link also has been added from the homepage to information about the New Hampshire Citizens Commission on the State Courts, which was established by Chief Justice John T. Broderick Jr. to conduct an independent assessment of the state justice system. The Judicial Branch homepage also has been reorganized to make it easier for users to navigate throughout the Web site. The creation of the “self-help” site was recommended in a report by the New Hampshire Supreme Court Task Force on Self-Representation, entitled Challenge to Justice. (http://www.nh.gov/judiciary/supreme/prosereport.pdf.) Associate Supreme Court Justice James E. Duggan, who chaired the task force, said the new Web site is part of an ongoing effort by the court system to provide self-represented litigants with the information they need to have their cases resolved fairly and efficiently. Also at the recommendation of the task force, posters have been prepared for distribution to courthouses statewide, stating the basic information that court staff can appropriately provide to self-represented litigants. In addition, 3 x 5 cards with links to self-help Web sites will be available at each courthouse for distribution to self-represented litigants. The posters and cards are intended to make the courthouse more “user friendly” for pro se litigants and reduce the amount of time court staff spend answering questions for self-represented litigants. The “Self Help Center” was designed by Rich Knox and Toni Szarek of the National Web Group in Manchester. Funding for project completion was provided through a grant from the New Hampshire Bar Foundation.
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