Equal access to justice in our civil court system is an ideal which we all embrace and believe in. Unfortunately, in Florida and elsewhere, equal access to justice in civil matters falls far short of the ideal in our post-recession reality. For far too many people, courts are where they will lose their homes, children, their life savings when they are faced with no other option than going to court without legal representation. When they arrive in court unprepared, without the information or papers they need, the end result often is unfortunate outcomes and a drag on court operations. The “justice gap” widens in hard times and is serious at all times.
A new program in Florida called “Lawyers in Libraries” helps to bridge the information gap for those who cannot afford legal counsel or who wish to investigate for themselves their options for handling a civil legal matter. First initiated in late 2013, Lawyers in Libraries connects volunteer lawyers with their local public libraries to accomplish two goals—to educate librarians about free, online access to legal resources available in Florida and how to help library patrons with their legal needs and to address library patrons directly about free legal resources, how to find and choose a lawyer, tips for appearing in court alone, how to dress, and what information or documents to carry to court.
