Articles Posted in Legal Self-help Community

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The process of creating and implementing new business models, for businesses, for nonprofits, for libraries, and for the legal profession, begins with discussing and examining new ideas.

The new biz model might be a Virtual Law Office or it might be a new idea, or germ of an idea, on providing legal services to people who can’t afford to hire lawyers:

Here’s a suggestion about the latter, and to paraphrase John Gear, if you don’t think that there is great demand for people who need but can’t afford lawyers, hang around a legal aid office (or ask a public law librarian):

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A former Umatilla County Law Librarian said during a discussion about the importance of public law libraries:

“The folks who cannot pay for a private attorney and cannot get a legal aid attorney are already disadvantaged in being forced to be self represented. With the law library, they have a slim chance at self representation, but it is at least a chance. Without a public law library, they have no hope of achieving any sort of justice at all…. What is the point of operating court facilities if the system doesn’t work for everyone? ”

From a report on access to justice in Oregon:

“There is significant unmet need for outreach, community education and access to easily used, high quality self-help materials…. Lower income people obtain legal assistance for their problems less than 20% of the time.” (From, The State of Access to Justice in Oregon, by D. Michael Dale, published in 2000, sponsored by the Oregon State Bar, the Oregon Judicial Department, and former Governor John Kitzhaber.)

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Despite cries from legislators and others that It’s All Online, in Oregon at least (and we really do know it’s the same in other places), IT IS NOT ALL ONLINE!

For example:

Have you ever tried to find an Oregon city or county code without these dance steps?

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Lewis & Clark Law School Library’s “Law in the News” roundup, brings us this story:

“Law Libraries Struggle with More Patrons, Less Funding,” by Jose Pagliery, Daily Business Review, December 15, 2010

‘… Pro se litigants, who often can’t afford attorneys and instead choose to represent themselves, are quickly becoming the largest share of users of public law libraries, according to a statewide law library nonprofit. As lawyers more frequently choose to study case law from their desktop computers, common folk are shuffling into brick-and-mortar institutions.

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When researching Oregon attorney fee issues, these are useful (outdated, but still helpful) supplements to your primary and current law research:

1) OLI CLE course book, “Effective Litigation of Attorney Fee Claims and Defenses,” April 1, 2005

2) OLI CLE course book, “Successful Prosecution and Defense of Claims for Attorney Fees,” April 25, 2003

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It’s time to update my June 15, 2008 LASO Bankruptcy Clinic blog post.

The OSB Debtor-Creditor Section and LASO bankruptcy (and other) links to information and their brochure are from their Oregon Law Help webpages.

You can also just telephone LASO at: 503-224-4086

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From Robert Ambrogi’s Law Sites 9/23/10 post: Thomson Unveils Global Hub for Free Legal Help:

Excerpt: “At an event today in New York City, Thomson Reuters will formally announce the launch of TrustLaw, a Web-based service that is intended to promote “the culture and practice of pro bono” around the world….” (Link to full blog post)

The TrustLaw site says: “TrustLaw is a global centre for free legal assistance and anti-corruption news, run by Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of the world’s leading provider of news and information, Thomson Reuters.

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The Oregon State Bar public website has a great new look. There is a lot of information online and on video.

The Legal Links cable TV shows are terrific and worth watching if you need information about landlord-tenant law, DUII, Small Claims Court, and much, much more. If you don’t have a computer, please visit your public library or public law library. Many, most, of us have computers and headphones you can use to listen to these OSB programs.

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This is an update to previous posts on estate planning (and on pro se litigants):

Public law libraries, and public libraries generally, get a lot of questions from people (non-attorneys) who want to write their own wills, draft their own powers of attorney, and who want fill-in-the-blank estate planning legal forms.

1) If you have no money, no property, no children or relatives in Oregon or any other state, no heirs, no interest in leaving what you do have to a charity or nonprofit, and don’t care if what remains of your estate (everything) goes to the tax collector and/or the state general fund, you don’t have to read on.

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