1.2 million unrepresented Californians visit self-help centers each year for help on cases that include divorces, child custody, evictions and restraining orders.

Feature

Court Users Flock to Self-Help Centers

How are self-help centers being managed with shrinking resources? This newsroom feature takes a look at two very different centers sharing the same challenges.
By Judicial Council Public Affairs
Apr 19, 2017

For millions of Californians, self-help centers aren’t the last resort to get legal help—they’re the only resort. But with the number of people representing themselves on the rise, there’s not enough funding to keep up with demand. Listen to audio for full story.

Music in audio story: "Path of No Return," "Lonesome Desperate," and "Flying Winter Birds" by Lobo Loco.

Self-Help Centers By the Numbers:

  • In California, more than 4.3 million people per year come to court without an attorney
  • 90% of family law cases have at least one party without a lawyer
  • 90% of tenants in eviction cases represent themselves
  • More than 75 percent of civil cases have at least one party without an attorney

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