About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

2 J. Open Access L. [i] (2014)

handle is hein.journals/jopacc2 and id is 1 raw text is: Facilitating Access to Legal Information by Self- Represented Litigants: An Exploratory Case Study of the People's Law Library of Maryland Ursula Gorham* * Abstract. In recent years, through the development and implementation of programs specifically designed to assist self-represented litigants (SRLs), courts across the United States have demonstrated a renewed commitment to the principle of equal access to justice. The steady growth in the number of litigants representing themselves presents a challenge; courts, however, are increasingly relying upon technology to meet the needs of this growing population. This article offers an in-depth examination of the People's Law Library (PLL), a statewide legal information and self-help website maintained by the Maryland State Law Library that seeks to connect SRLs with a wide range of resources to help them better understand the legal issues relevant to their situation as well as the court processes and procedures that must be followed. Based upon data collected through interviews with PLL stakeholders and a review of documents related to the development and implementation of PLL, this case study is guided by two key research questions: 1) How does PLL facilitate self-represented litigants' access to legal information, and 2) What challenges has PLL faced in facilitating this access? The paper then offers several recommendations, based upon findings from this study, for using statewide legal information websites to facilitate improved access to legal information by SRLs in the United States. Keywords: access to justice; self-represented litigants 1. Introduction Descriptions of the American legal system often invoke the concept of equal access to justice. For individuals who are represented by legal counsel in a court proceeding, there is often little reason to contemplate the possibility of being denied such access. A growing number of individuals acting on their own behalf in court, whether by choice or by circumstance, however, are realizing that equal access to justice is an aspiration, not a guarantee. Much has been written about the many ways in which the justice system currently fails self-represented litigants (SRLs), particularly those with limited financial means. And, by and large, legal scholars and practitioners generally agree that the courts cannot sit idly by as SRLs * Doctoral Candidate, College of Information Studies, University of Maryland at College Park (ugorhos@yahoo.com)

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most