Center helps those who wish to help themselves

People want their day in court, and more than ever they want to represent themselves in a judicial system that can be expensive, intimidating and confusing.

In response to this trend, the Clark County courts system has teamed up with Legal Aid of Southern Nevada to open the Civil Law Self-Help Center on the ground floor of the Regional Justice Center, downtown at 200 Lewis Ave.

The need for the center was obvious at Monday's soft opening as most seats in the waiting area were occupied, bilingual legal assistants answered questions, and Jim Berchtold, the attorney who supervises four assistants, looked as if it had already been a very busy day by 9:30 a.m.

"We're going to try to give them every tool they'll need," said Berchtold. "Judges can't help them; they send them to us. Everybody is going to the clerk's office, but the clerk can't give legal advice, so the clerk will send them to us. The need is there."

Berchtold expects self-representation to become commonplace as attorney fees remain high, the economy continues to disappoint, home foreclosures become more common, and landlord-tenant disputes are spiking.

But those aren't the only issues for which help can be found.

The center can provide the proper legal forms and other information and "lay out options," Berchtold said.

Just don't expect to get free legal advice. For one thing, legal assistants cannot provide such advice and for another, Berchtold said it is the client's ultimate decision how to prosecute his or her case. The center and its employees are neutral. In other words, they help navigate the system, but they don't advocate.

"This center allows us to respond to the needs of the community and the courts," District Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez said in a statement on a court Web site. "Our civil caseload has increased this year."

Other legal issues the court can assist with include mediation and protection orders.

Assistance also will be offered in dispute resolution outside the courtroom, which would cut costs significantly and reduce the burden on an already overloaded court docket.

Classes on foreclosure mediation will be offered, as will instruction on how to pursue or defend a small claims lawsuit, which is done in conjunction with the Boyd School of Law at the Unviersity of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The self-help center is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day. It accepts clients on a walk-in basis only.

Contact reporter Doug McMurdo at dmcmurdo@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135.