Website launched to help people without attorneys
Jeremy M. Lazarus | 6/22/2016, 2:42 p.m.
Thinking of representing yourself in court?
The Supreme Court of Virginia wants to help.
The court set up a website, http://selfhelp.vacourts.gov, to
provide answers to basic legal questions on cases involving traffic tickets, small claims and landlord-tenant issues.
The website also provides information on divorce, custody and visitation, guardianship and protective orders.
The site includes a glossary of legal terms, instructions about routine processes that need to be followed and information on public law libraries. However, the site does not provide legal advice.
A project of the Virginia Access to Justice Commission, the new website is seen as a “milestone ... toward providing greater and more meaningful access to civil justice in Virginia,” stated Justice S. Bernard Goodwyn, who sits on the state’s highest court and serves as co-chair of the commission.
The state Supreme Court established the commission in 2013 to promote equal access to justice with particular emphasis on meeting the legal needs of residents, particularly in civil cases. Virginia is one of 28 states to have established such commis- sions to find ways to aid those who cannot afford attorneys.
