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(L-R) Fayette County Circuit Court Clerk Vincent Riggs, Justice Michelle M. Keller, Chief Justice John D. Minton Jr., Justice Laurance B. VanMeter and Fayette Family Court Judge Carl D. Devine attend the dedication of the new Fayette County Legal Help Center July 12 in Lexington. The Legal Help Center provides free civil legal aid resources to the public and is the first of its kind in the
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FRANKFORT, Ky., July 22, 2022 – Carrying out its mission to expand access to justice, the Kentucky Access to Justice Commission and its partners are helping Kentuckians resolve their civil legal issues, one new resource at a time.
The most recent initiative – and the first of its kind in Kentucky – is the Fayette County Legal Help Center, which was formally dedicated July 12. The center assists those who are navigating the justice system without legal counsel, and is located in the Robert F. Stephens Circuit Courthouse, 120 N. Limestone, Room CB02A, Lexington.
“When the commission was created 12 years ago, we were not sure how this concept of access to justice would manifest itself in Kentucky,” said Supreme Court Justice Michelle M. Keller, who chairs the KAJC. “We certainly have not figured it all out. And we know that access to justice will not be accomplished by creating one legal help center, seven guided interviews or a pro se docket. But we hope this center lays the groundwork for more centers and builds momentum to increase legal resources for the citizens of Kentucky.”
How Legal Help Center Works
The Legal Help Center is staffed with KAJC staff and volunteers from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. ET each Thursday. While volunteers do not provide legal advice, they do offer legal information, which includes helping patrons locate and fill in the correct legal forms on a variety of topics, including divorce, expungement, child support and simple probate matters.
Many of the forms that patrons need can be completed through guided interviews. The guided interviews are user-friendly, with the patron simply answering a series of questions. Once the interview is complete, the program generates the required court documents. Guided interviews are available on dissolution of marriage (no minor children), motion to modify child support, petition for order of protection, small claims court complaint, petition for probate, petition for expungement (for misdemeanor, violation or traffic infraction conviction), and motion for waiver of court costs and fees.
KAJC Executive Director Glenda Harrison said the Fayette County Legal Help Center has helped over 100 patrons gain access to the courts since it opened in March. “With an increase in self-represented litigants – people handling their own legal matters – KAJC will be looking at how we can expand this service in some form to different areas of the state,” she said.
The Legal Help Center is seeking attorneys and law students to volunteer, and anyone who is interested can contact Harrison at glenda.harrison@kyaccesstojusticecommission.org.
The Kentucky Access to Justice Commission launched the Legal Help Center in partnership with the Fayette County Office of Circuit Court Clerk, Fayette County Family Court judges, the Fayette County Law Library trustees, the Administrative Office of the Courts and Legal Aid of the Bluegrass. The Fayette County Bar Foundation provided funding to purchase computers and a printer for the center.
kyjustice.org Offers Self-Help Resources
KAJC and Kentucky's four civil legal aid programs launched another self-help legal resource in March when the revised website, kyjustice.org, went live. The site provides information on a wide range of civil legal topics: Court Basics; Families, Children & Divorce; Health; Housing; Immigration; Individual Rights; Kids, Teens & School; Money & Debt; Planning Ahead in Elder Law; Public Benefts; Veterans; Victims of Crime, and Work.
The site also offers answers to common legal questions, a tool that screens for legal aid eligibility, an interactive county-by-county resource map, and contact information for the civil legal aid programs.
Civil Legal Aid for Individuals With Substance Use Disorder
In August 2021, the KAJC obtained grant funds to start a Legal Assistance in Treatment project in Northeastern and Eastern Kentucky. The LAT project has three community legal resource coordinators to screen individuals who are in residential treatment for substance use disorder. The CLRCs work to identify and resolve a client’s civil legal matters before they leave the clinical setting. Civil legal issues are noncriminal, such as housing/evictions, government benefits, family law matters and domestic violence. The project has served more than 200 people to date.
“Unresolved legal issues can create stress, distractions and entanglements that impede treatment and jeopardize recovery,” Harrison said. “Providing legal assistance to individuals in treatment is another service integrated into their continuum of care. The KAJC is pleased to partner with the Kentucky Justice & Public Safety Cabinet on this important project.”
The Justice & Public Safety Cabinet’s Grants Management Division applied for and administers the $411,142 LAT grant, which runs through Sept. 30, 2022.
About the Kentucky Access to Justice Commission
The Kentucky Access to Justice Commission was established in 2010 by Supreme Court order to make access to justice a priority for the Judicial Branch. The KAJC works to increase access to the courts and legal representation for people of low and moderate income through innovative partnerships with Kentucky’s civil legal aid programs, the judiciary, court officials, the Kentucky Bar Association, the private bar, law schools, trained non-lawyers, businesses, and community and faith-based organizations.
About the Administrative Office of the Courts
The Administrative Office of the Courts in Frankfort is the operations arm of the state court system. The AOC supports the activities of nearly 3,400 court system employees and 406 elected justices, judges and circuit court clerks. The AOC is the fiscal agent for the state court system and executes the Judicial Branch budget.
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