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Yes, You Can Help People with Legal Questions! . Barbara Howe and Janet Fisher , State Library of Arizona Tony Apodaca , Maricopa County Library District. “I need information on…”. How to file for divorce Whether this contract is legal Writing a will
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Yes, You Can Help People with Legal Questions! Barbara Howe and Janet Fisher, State Library of Arizona Tony Apodaca, Maricopa County Library District
“I need information on…” • How to file for divorce • Whether this contract is legal • Writing a will • How long creditors have to collect
What are we talking about? ANSWER: Access to Justice
Legal information - something we can do Guide created for County Court personnel, and useful for libraries. http://www.azcourts.gov/Portals/34/Guides/QRHandbook.pdf
Examples of an informational question Q. Is jury service mandatory? A. The United States Constitution and the Arizona State Constitution guarantee the right to trial by jury. Failure to attend as directed may subject the person to penalties provided by law, including a fine up to $500 and being rescheduled for jury service, See A.R.S. Title 21.
Legal Advice –Sentences to avoid • I think you should … • What this is saying is … • The law really means …
Statewide databases Legal Information Reference Center has a general focus • How-to’s • Forms • Explanations General research in EBSCO databases can provide some description of legal issues and examples
AZLawHelp.org • Ask questions • Find a lawyer • Online intake form • Identify applicable legal services • Modest Means Project • Arizona Senior Citizens Law Project
Other online tools State Bar of Arizona • Find a Lawyer Maricopa County Bar Association • Lawyer Referral Service Hein Online • Articles • Attorney General Opinions • More
Government sites State: • Arizona State Courts – self-service forms http://www.azcourts.gov/selfservicecenter/selfserviceforms.aspx Federal: • Law Library of Congress http://www.loc.gov/law/help/guide/states/us-az.php http://www.loc.gov/law/help/guide/federal.php • Regulations.gov • USA.gov
Contact someone to help you County law libraries County courts • Note: Many sources from Maricopa County Superior Court can be revised for use in other counties State law librarians – research@azlibrary.gov
Maricopa County as test location • Provide training to selected/self-selected library staff from Maricopa County Library District a couple of branches in some metro-area libraries • Testing value of training in urban and rural areas Schedule Spring 2014 – training for library staff, event with attorneys and connection between communities and attorneys.
Survey participants Before • Common areas for training After • Value of training – less apprehension in providing assistance with law-related questions; knowledge of sources for assistance and how far to go when responding
Contact us: Barbara Howe bhowe@azlibrary.gov Janet Fisher jfisher@azlibrary.gov Tony ApodacaTonyApodaca@mcldaz.org