FRANKFORT, Ky., Feb. 7, 2023 – Since opening last March, the Fayette County Legal Help Center has aided more than 800 people with free legal information, forms and guided interviews, with more than 700 of those people since the center’s public launch in July.
Justice Michelle M. Keller of the Supreme Court of Kentucky discussed the service and plans for more legal help centers on Kentucky Educational Television’s “Kentucky Edition” in December. Watch the episode at ket.org/program/kentucky-edition/december-19-2022/ (start at 19:47). Renee Shaw hosts “Kentucky Edition.”
“When somebody walks in the courtroom and has no idea what they're doing, doesn't have an attorney, I think common sense will tell you that can slow things up tremendously and be frustrating for both sides,” Justice Keller said on the show. “So hopefully this helps people get the information they need so that they can get into court and Family Court or District Court and they can take care of their matter. And that helps everybody. It helps the citizen, it also helps our judges, it helps our court clerks, and most of all we're expediting legal matters that need to be taken care of.
“A lot of times people who are facing maybe financial crisis, maybe substance abuse crisis, maybe a death in the family, whatever it may be, they’re overwhelmed enough with that problem and then you pile a legal problem or two on top of it, it can really be devastating to an individual or to a family. So we’re trying to take some of that piece away, trying to make it easier to take care of the legal issue.”
The center is the first of its kind in Kentucky and provides access to free legal information for people who are handling certain legal matters on their own. It’s located in the Robert F. Stephens Circuit Courthouse at 120 N. Limestone in Lexington, operating out of the Law Library in Room CBO2A on the courthouse lower level.
The center offers information on a variety of legal topics, including divorce, expungement, child support and simple probate matters.
The Kentucky Access to Justice Commission launched the Legal Help Center in partnership with the Fayette County Office of Circuit Court Clerk, Fayette County Family Court judges, Fayette County Law Library trustees, Administrative Office of the Courts and Legal Aid of the Bluegrass. The Fayette County Bar Foundation provided funding to purchase computers and a printer and the Fayette County Attorney’s Office donated two computers.
How Legal Help Center Works
The Legal Help Center is staffed with KAJC staff and volunteers from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. ET each Thursday. While volunteers do not provide legal advice, they do offer legal information, which includes helping patrons locate and complete legal forms on a variety of topics.
Many of the forms patrons need can be completed through a guided interview program. The guided interviews are user-friendly, with the patron simply answering a series of questions. Once the interview is complete, the program generates the required court documents. Guided interviews are available on these matters:
- Dissolution of marriage (no minor children)
- Motion to modify child support
- Petition for order of protection
- Small claims court complaint
- Petition for probate
- Petition for expungement (for misdemeanor, violation or traffic infraction conviction)
- Motion for waiver of court costs and fees
- Petition for name change
- Petition/order to dispense with administration
- Affidavit of indigency, request for counsel in criminal case
Want to Volunteer?
The Legal Help Center is seeking attorneys and law students to volunteer during the center’s hours of operation. Volunteers will be given an orientation on how the center operates and the scope of services provided. For more information, contact Glenda Harrison at glenda.harrison@kyaccesstojusticecommission.org.
Another Legal Resource: kyjustice.org
The KAJC and Kentucky's four civil legal aid programs launched another self-help legal resource in March when the updated website, kyjustice.org, went live. The site provides information on civil legal topics, including family law matters, criminal expungement, housing and consumer issues. It also offers answers to common legal questions, a tool that screens for legal aid eligibility and an interactive county-by-county resource map.
About the Kentucky Access to Justice Commission
The Kentucky Access to Justice Commission was established in 2010 by Supreme Court order to make access to justice a priority for the Judicial Branch. The KAJC works to increase access to the courts and legal representation for people of low and moderate income through innovative partnerships with Kentucky’s civil legal aid programs, the judiciary, court officials, the Kentucky Bar Association, the private bar, law schools, trained non-lawyers, businesses, and community and faith-based organizations.
About the Administrative Office of the Courts
The Administrative Office of the Courts in Frankfort is the operations arm for the state court system. The AOC supports the activities of court system employees and the elected justices, judges and circuit court clerks. As the fiscal agent for the state court system, the AOC executes the Judicial Branch budget.
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