The Project for the Future of Equal Justice promotes the
development of new and updated methods of providing low-income people with the information
and assistance they need to resolve their civil legal problems. Here on our website,
we offer a forum for sharing information and discussion of the pros and cons of these new
approaches. Currently, we spotlight the following areas:
Holistic Services: The
traditional model for legal services assists clients with their immediate legal needs.
An exciting new holistic model is now taking shape. Click here for more information.
Hotlines: Check in here for the latest on what's happening in this dynamic
mode of service delivery.
Pro Se: Can
clients effectively advocate on behalf of themselves_ Some
materials and resources to help bring you up to speed and get perspective. Click here.
Pro Se:
Pro se means "on one's own
behalf." Representing oneself in court used to be a time-honored American
tradition and is still a constitutional right of everyone. A 1991 American Bar Association
study of self-represented litigants showed:
- Persons with incomes less than $50,000 are more likely to
represent themselves.
- About 20% of self-represented litigants report they can
afford an attorney but do not want one.
- Self-represented persons are more likely to be satisfied
with the judicial process than those who are represented by attorneys.
- Almost 75% of those who represented themselves in court said
they would do it again.
Self-representation, when combined with the power of modern
information technology can be an important means of providing increased access to the
legal system.
Pro
Se Directory Search
AARP Foundation has compiled this searchable
directory of pro se programs. Over three hundred programs are
listed.. You may search programs by state, self-help material topics,
delivery system profile, and delivery system subject areas. To add your
program or edit your program's information, please email .
Pro Se Programs:
Click on the titles to read about two programs approaching pro
se from different angles:
Maryland Pro Se Domestic Law
Project; read further for an evaluation of the Project.
Pro Se and Computer Kiosks
Resources and Materials:
Bibliography on
Self-Representation and "Unbundling" of Legal Services
Cases and Materials on Pro Se Litigation and Related Issues
by Jona Goldschmidt, Associate Professor, Department of Criminal Justice, Loyla
University, Chicago, Prepared for the ABA Lawyers' Conference Annual Meeting, Tuscon,
Arizona, May, 1997.
The Self-Service Center of
Maricopa County, Arizona - a model for courts everywhere that want to provide support
to pro se litigants.
Opinion of the Attorney General of the State of Maryland
Opinion No. 95-056 (December 19, 1995): Concerning Whether Law Advocates Who Provide
Services to Victims of Domestic Violence Engage in the Unauthorized Practice of Law
HALT- Americans for Legal
Reform -- leading advocate organization for self-help law.
Nolo Press -- leading self-help law and software
publisher.
National Federation of Paralegal Organizations --
the major paralegal professional organization. At their site, see Unauthorized Practice of Law.
ABA Commission on NonLawyer
Practice -- major field study on use of nonlawyers to deliver legal services.
NFPA Response to ABA
Commission on NonLawyer Practice
CourtTV Law Center - resource center for consumers.
Counsel Connect Web- resource center for lawyers.
