Cleveland Law Library Weblog

1st Week for New & Improved Help Center @ Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court in the Cuyahoga County Courthouse

Today marks the 1st successful week for Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court's new and improved Help Center in Room 29 (basement) of the Cuyahoga County Courthouse.  Although staff in the new Center cannot provide legal advice, they will be able to provide:

• court forms at no cost
• instructions on how to complete court forms
• a review of filled-out forms for completeness and adequacy
• information about court processes, practices, and procedures
• an explanation of the purpose and options available through the Court
• follow-up to ensure all paperwork is ready for final hearings
• notary public services
• help finding free or low cost legal services and programs, including mediation programs

The new Center has 1 computer for lawyers and another for self-represented litigants. These computers will enable users to prepare court forms and calculate child support.

OSBA Access to Justice Final Report Suggests Role for Law Libraries

The OSBA held an Access to Justice Summit in April 2015 to discuss 4 major topics:

• Access to Justice with or without a Lawyer
• Innovations in Pro Bono Legal Services
• The Crisis in Legal Aid Funding
• Effective Tools for Assisting Pro Se Parties: Forms and Beyond

The Final Report has been issued, and it contains many recommendations for reform. In particular, several comments describe the role which law libraries can play:

"Participants also raised that law libraries and public libraries could also play a significant role in providing access to legal services. Libraries could hold “legal hours” where legal aid/pro bono attorneys are available to assist with filling out forms or even just talking through problems so people know that the legal system might have help for them.,,,Open up law libraries for public access on specific days and times during the week....Self-help centers are good and SHOULD utilize LAW LIBRARIES...Law libraries are a great resource and the Ohio Association of Law Libraries is an eager and willing partner • They can expand their functions to help provide information; access; and support...Better information at law libraries."

Infographics Can Help Lawyers Display and Communicate Complex Information Easily and Visually

Infographics are a hot topic right now, and lawyers can use them effectively to communicate detailed information visually. According to law.com, an infographic is a picture or graphic that combines text with images to create a document that more easily conveys complex information. When I think of ways lawyers can use infographics, I envision catchy posters you can turn into trial exhibits or flyers you can post on your web sites The applications are endless. The foregoing article compares infographics to the types of pictures you can sometimes see on Pinterest and offers one lawyer's Pinterest site as a good example of how to use infographics to promote your practice or showcase legal information. If you are interested in creating your own infographics, click here to read about some of the best free tools. There are also free templates available for those who want to use ppt and do not want to start from scratch.

Ohioans Given More Time to Comment on Proposed, Standardized Domestic Relations and Juvenile Court Forms

At the suggestion of the Ohio State Bar Association, the Ohio Supreme Court has extended the deadline until December 14th for comments on proposed, standardized domestic relations and Juvenile Court forms. See our prior post for a list of the forms and a link to review them. 

Ohio Supreme Court Proposes 23 Standard Domestic Relations/Juvenile Forms for Divorces, Dissolutions, Legal Separations and Parenting Plans

The Ohio Supreme Court has created 23 proposed domestic relations and juvenile forms for divorces, dissolutions, legal separations and parenting plans. Specifically, the Court has proposed the following list of forms:

Complaint for Divorce without Children; Answer; Final Judgment

Complaint for Divorce with Children; Answer; Final Judgment

Judgment Entry Converting Interest in Real Estate

Consent to Judgment Entry

Petition for Dissolution of Marriage; Judgment Entry

Separation Agreement

Parenting Plan; Final Decree of Parenting

Complaint for Parentage, Allocation of Parental Rights and Responsibilities (Custody), and Parenting Time (Companionship and Visitation)

Motion for Contempt and Affidavit

Show Cause Order, Notice and Instructions to the Clerk

Motion for Change of Parenting Time (Companionship and Visitation) and Memorandum in Support

Motion for Change of Parental Rights and Responsibilities and Memorandum in Support

Motion for Change of Child Support, Medical Support, Tax Exemption, or Other Child-Related Expenses and Memorandum in Support

Waiver of Service of Summons

Request for Service

According to the Court's news release:

"Key information, relevant instructions, and tips have been embedded in the forms using plain English as much as possible to assist self-represented  litigants in pursuing their cases in court."

Comments are being accepted until November 13, 2012. When the forms are approved, they will be posted to the Court's website where they can be completed online or printed out.

U.S. District Court for the N.D. Ohio Revises Civil Cover Sheet to Create 7 New Categories and Eliminate 13 Others

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio has revised its Civil Cover Sheet to include 7 new categories:

• 367 TORTS - Personal Injury - Health Care/Pharmaceutical Personal Injury/Product Liability
• 375 False Claims Act
• 448 Civil Rights - Education
• 560 Prisoner Petitions - Civil Detainee - Conditions of Confinement
• 751 Labor - Family and Medical Leave Act
• 896 Other Statutes - Arbitration
• 899 Other Statutes - Administrative Procedure Act/Review or Appeal of Agency Decision

The Court has also eliminated the following 13 Nature of Suit codes:

• 444 Civil Rights - Welfare
• 610 Forfeiture/Penalty - Agriculture
• 620 Forfeiture/Penalty - Other Food & Drug
• 630 Forfeiture/Penalty - Liquor Laws
• 640 Forfeiture/Penalty - RR & Truck
• 650 Forfeiture/Penalty - Airline Regulations
• 660 Forfeiture/Penalty - Occupational Safety/Health
• 730 Labor - Labor/Mgmt Reporting and Disclosure Act
• 810 Other Statutes - Selective Service
• 875 Other Statutes - Customer Challenge 12 USC 3410
• 892 Economic Stabilization Act
• 894 Other Statutes - Energy Allocation Act
• 900 Other Statutes - Appeal of Fee Determination Under Equal Access to Justice Act

 Click here to download the new Civil Cover Sheet, which comes with instructions for completing it.

 

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Issues New Residential Foreclosure Affidavit Policy

The Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas has issued a new residential foreclosure Affidavit policy dated December 22, 2010. The new rules govern situations where lenders have asked for more time to get their paperwork in order. The rules contemplate dismissals in certain cases, provide specific elements that need to be included in affidavits, and indicate when a personal appearance is necessary.

Cuyahoga County DR Forms Are Now Interactive

Brand new this week, most of the forms on the Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations website are now interactive as fillable pdf forms. They can now be completed online by simply typing in relevant information and printing out the completed product. However, due to restrictions enbedded in the documents themselves, you will not be able to save the documents you create for your records. Nevertheless, this will be a huge benefit and time-saver for parties who want to proceed pro se and fill out their own paperwork for a divorce, a dissolution, child support, etc.

OSBA Developing Online Forms Library

The Ohio State Bar Association is in the process of creating an online forms library using a program called HotDocs. This new service, which will be available for a fee to OSBA members, will automate the process of creating common forms for use in the following practice areas: appellate practice; business law; civil litigation; estate planning; trust and probate; family law; jury instructions; advance directives; real estate; and workers compensation. The fee will start at around $200 for solo attorneys. Since an OSBA committee is currently in the process of determining which forms to automate, and a vendor has already been selected to create them, it should not take too long.

LegalZoom Accused of Unauthorized Practice of Law

Consumer may love LegalZoom, but it is facing a class action alleging that its process of creating wills, POA's, pleadings in domestic relations cases, and other documents constitutes the unauthorized practice of law. Click here to read an article about the case and link to the pleadings. According to the article, LegalZoom is run by a lawyer who was interviewed for an upcoming article in the ABA Journal.