The San Benito and Santa Cruz superior courts have teamed up to
offer self-help legal services to county residents who cannot
afford legal representation.
Hollister – The San Benito and Santa Cruz superior courts have teamed up to offer self-help legal services to county residents who cannot afford legal representation.
The services are designed to help those who can’t afford legal representation navigate an often confusing system, said Sasha Morgan, manager of self-help services for Santa Cruz and San Benito counties.
“Even middle-income folks have a hard time affording an attorney,” Morgan said, adding, “Sometimes people don’t even know if they have a legal issue.”
District Attorney Candice Hooper said self-help services are important because people going through civil court cannot use the free counsel of a public defender.
“I think it’s excellent anytime we can offer services to people who can’t afford it,” Hooper said.
The courts will make presentations at three local libraries and gauge discuss with attendants how services should be prioritized. The presentations will show how to use online resources to get legal help, Morgan said.
The first meeting will take place Sept. 13 at the San Juan Bautista library. Two additional meetings – at the San Benito County Free Library and the Aromas library – are tentatively scheduled for October.
Self-help services will be available in San Benito County from 9am to 3pm every Monday beginning Oct. 22 at 390 San Benito St. Morgan will also be available to county residents in a new Santa Cruz County court building in Watsonville scheduled for completion in January 2008, she said.
Morgan said her specialties are guardianships, domestic violence, name changes and civil harassment, but she plans to expand her specialties. She can always point people in the right direction and help them understand a multitude of online resources, she said.
“People can come in with any questions,” Morgan said.
