First Adopted: January 11, 2007
Most Recently Effective: July 01, 2008
Court Operating Rule (COR) 25 | Services By Court Clerks And Staff In Family Law Cases
Court Operating Rule 25 | Services by Court Clerks and Staff in Family Law Cases
(a) Court clerks and court staff may provide the following services to self-represented litigants to achieve fair and efficient resolution of their family law case. The services specified in this Court Operating Rule 25, when delivered by a court clerk or court staff, do not constitute legal advice.
(b) Rendering legal advice is not authorized for any court clerk or court staff member.
(c) Court clerks and court staff may:
(1) Encourage self-represented litigants to be informed about their legal rights;
(2) Provide information about available pro bono legal services, low cost legal services, legal aid programs, and lawyer referral services;
(3) Provide docketed case information for the litigant’s case;
(4) Provide information about available approved forms, without providing advice or recommendation as to any specific course of action;
(5) Provide approved forms and approved written instructions on how to complete the forms;
(6) Record information provided by a self-represented litigant on approved forms when a litigant has limited literacy, physical infirmity, or other disabilities to the extent required by the Americans with Disabilities Act;
(7) Provide court-approved definitions of commonly used terms;
(8) Provide general information about local court operations and facilitate the setting of hearings;
(9) Provide information about required parent and/or child education courses and mediation; and
(10) Provide information about community services and other resources.
(d) Each court clerk shall conspicuously post the following notice describing services the court clerks and court staff may and may not provide to self-represented litigants. A copy of the notice shall be provided to any person on request.
(Adopted January 11, 2007, effective July 1, 2007. Amended April 30, 2007, effective April 30, 2007; amended December 21, 2007, effective July 1, 2008.)