This section provides information, materials and ideas for starting, operating, and managing a self-help center program including intake forms, triage tools, program brochures, and staff and Volunteers/Pro Bono training materials.

General

Guidelines for the Operation of Self-Help Centers in California Trial Courts. Coordinated by the Task Force on Self-Represented Litigants. Released by the AOC in March 2008.

Developing Effective Practices in Family Caseflow Management. By Greacen, Associates LLC, October 2005.

Starting a self-help center:12 Core Resources (Prepared for the California Conference on Self-Represented Litigants.)

Checklist for Starting a Court Based Project to Assist Self-Represented Litigants

Best Practices in Court-Based Programs for the Self-Represented: Concepts, Attributes and Issues for Exploration (2006 Edition)

Operation and Expansion of Self-help Services (Prepared for the California Conference on Self-Represented Litigants.)

The Self-Help Friendly Court: Designed From the Ground Up to Work for People Without Lawyers, by Richard Zorza (2002)

Making the Courthouse More Accessible

Resource Information, Brochures, and Educational Materials Available to Self-Represented Litigants and General Public

Legal Services Corporation Best Practices in Self-Help

Selfhelpsupport.org: Support for self-help programs

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Program Operations

Sample Intake Forms and Sign in sheets
Sample Triage and Screening Tools
Sample Program Flyers and Brochures

Sample Intake Forms and Sign-in Sheets

Self-Service Center Intake Form (Rev. 5/2007)
(Prepared by the Santa Clara Superior Court Self Service Center.)

Self-Service Center FASTRACK Intake Form (Rev. 5/2007) (Prepared by the Santa Clara Superior Court Self Service Center.)

Divorce Intake Form (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma.)

Parental Relationship Intake Form (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma.)

Intake Questions - Katherine Alteneder

EDC Intake Form - Tiela Chalmers

San Francisco Unified Family Law Self-Help Center Window Questionnaire - Tiela Chalmers

ACCESS Center Sign-In Sheet (Prepared by the San Francisco ACCESS Center)

Multilingual Disclosure (Prepared by the San Francisco ACCESS Center)

Divorce Intake (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma)

Paternity Intake (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma)

Guardianship Intake (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of Tuolumne)

Confidential Client Intake Form (Rev. 3/05) (Prepared by the Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County.)

Legal Resource Center Intake Form (Rev. 3/05) (Prepared by the Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County.)

Outreach Intake Form (Rev. 3/05) (Prepared by the Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County. )

Intake form for Landlord/Tenant and Small Claims clinic (Rev. 2/2008) (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of San Joaquin)

Sample Triage and Screening Tools

Helping People Before the Court: Effective Triage as a Critical First Step (Prepared for the California Conference on Self-Represented Litigants.)

Some important things to remember with every call (Prepared by the Alaska Court System)

Screening Questions (Prepared by the Alaska Court System)

Steps to Go Through With Callers (Prepared by the Alaska Court System)

Telephone Triage Checklist - "I want to file for guardianship/custody of a child." (produced by the Superior Court of California, County of Butte)

Telephone Triage Checklist - "I want to collect child support." (produced by the Superior Court of California, County of Butte)

Telephone Triage Checklist - "I want custody of my children." (produced by the Superior Court of California, County of Butte)

Telephone Triage Checklist - "I want to get a restraining order against someone." (produced by the Superior Court of California, County of Butte)

Telephone Triage Checklist - "I need help with my divorce." Example 1 (PDF, DOC) (produced by the Superior Court of California, County of Butte)

Telephone Triage Checklist - "I need help with my divorce." Example 2 (PDF, DOC) (produced by the Superior Court of California, County of Butte)

Triage for Initial Dissolution Workshop (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles)

Triage for Dissolution Workshop on Disclosures and Entry of Default (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles)

Guardianship Workshop Script-Triage.

LARC Attorney Memorandum - Tiela Chalmers

LARC Interviewer Form - Tiela Chalmers

LARC Tips/Notes for Interviewers - Tiela Chalmers

Triage Flow Chart –UD (Rev. 8/27/2007) (Prepared by the Ventura Courts Self-Help Legal Access Center)

Intake Assessment/Triage in Unlawful Detainer Cases (Rev. 5/11/2007) (Prepared by the Ventura Courts Self-Help Legal Access Center)

Intake Assessment/Triage for Name Changes (Rev. 5/20/2007) (Prepared by the Ventura Courts Self-Help Legal Access Center)

Sample Program Flyers and Brochures

ACCESS Center Flyer (Prepared by the San Francisco ACCESS Center)
Also available in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian, and Tagalog.

The Alaska Court System's Family Law Self-Help Center Flyer

How can ACCESS help you? (Prepared by the San Francisco ACCESS Center)
Also available in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian, and Tagalog.

Where Do I Go? (Prepared by the San Francisco ACCESS Center)
Also available in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian, and Tagalog.

Santa Clara Self-Service Center Program Brochure (Rev. 5/2007) (Prepared by the Santa Clara Superior Court Self Service Center.)

Things to do to get help at the Self-Service Center (Rev. 2/2005) (Prepared by the Santa Clara Superior Court Self Service Center.)

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Case Management Sample Materials

Improving Efficiency and Service in Family Courts (Prepared by Judge Duryee, Superior Court of California, County of Marin, for the California Conference on Self-Represented Litigants.)

Family Law Rule for Case Management for SRL Cases (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles)

Notice of Case Management Conference Served with Petition (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles)

Available Case Management Services Flyer (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles)

Case Management Dissolution Checklist (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles)

OSC Case Management Dissolution Checklist (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles)

OSC Case Management Paternity Checklist (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles)

Notice of Hearing to complete dissolution (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles)

Petitioner’s Roadmap to Success in a Dissolution (Prepared by Superior Court of California, County of Marin)

Respondents’s Roadmap to Success in a Dissolution (Prepared by Superior Court of California, County of Marin)

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Volunteers/Pro Bono

Volunteer Resources
Volunteer Program Training Materials
Self Help Center Staff Resources

Volunteer Resources

ABA Pro Bono Materials (Prepared by the ABA )

Renewing our Commitment to Pro Bono: Tools for Local & Specialty Bar Associations

Your CASA Volunteers (Prepared by CASA)

Virtual Volunteering Resources (Prepared by ServiceLeader.org)

JusticeCorps (Funded through an AmeriCorps grant)

Service Learning Trip : OneJustice attorneys and law students from all over the state working at member organizations and court-based self-help centers to help litigants represent themselves in court.

Volunteer Program Training Materials

Domestic Violence Calendar Protocol for Volunteers (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo)

Ventura Self-Help Legal Access Center Volunteer Training Manual (Rev. 2/08/2006) (Prepared by the Ventura Courts Self-Help Legal Access Center)

Volunteer Handbook - San Francisco Superior Court Assisting Court Customers with Educational and Self-Help Services (ACCESS) Center (Prepared by the San Francisco ACCESS Center)

Family Law Facilitator Office Rules (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino)

A Guide for volunteers and interns (Prepared by the Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County.)

Paralegal Manual, San Francisco Probate Court, Self-Represented Guardianship Program (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco )

Guardianship Assistance Program (GAP) Training Manual (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino )

Advanced Guardianship Training Manual (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino )

San Francisco's Unlawful Detainer Settlement Conference Project

LARC Attorney Memorandum - Tiela Chalmers

Handbook for the San Francisco Superior Court ACCESS Volunteers (Prepared for the 2010 California Conference on Self-Represented Litigants)

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Job Descriptions

Contract Position Description - SHC Paralegal (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of Del Norte )

Family Law Volunteers (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma )

Court Staff Attorney I -- Job Classification (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco )

Court Staff Attorney II -- Job Classification (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco )

Senior Court Staff Attorney -- Job Classification (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco )

SHC Staff Attorney-- Job Announcement (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco )

SHC Director -- Job Announcement (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco )

Senior Court Managing Attorney-Job Description (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of Imperial )

Self-Represented Litigant Facilitator-Job Description (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of Imperial.)

Staff Attorney-Job Description (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino )

Supervising Attorney-Job Description (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino )

Senior Attorney-Job Description (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino )

Family Law Facilitator-Job Description (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino )

Resource Attorney – Job Description (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino )

Paralegal – Job Description (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino )

Legal Process Clerk – Job Description (Prepared by the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino )

Senior Court Clerk for Self-help Center (Prepared by 4th Judicial District Court, Minnesota Judicial Branch )

Bilingual Court Clerk English/Somali (Prepared by 4th Judicial District Court, Minnesota Judicial Branch )

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