For many people, the courthouse is a symbol of anxiety and
confusion where lawyers and legal jargon can overwhelm the common
citizen there to deal with a divorce, traffic ticket or family
feud.
Hollister – For many people, the courthouse is a symbol of anxiety and confusion where lawyers and legal jargon can overwhelm the common citizen there to deal with a divorce, traffic ticket or family feud.
To compound matters, a trend becoming more and more prevalent over the past seven years has citizens representing themselves in many civil matters because of the burden attorney’s fees place on their checkbook, according to Frances Henderson, director of family court services at the San Benito County Superior Court.
Oftentimes these people do not know their way around the courts, the proper procedures for filing paperwork and many other issues that subsequently waste both their and the court’s time, Henderson said.
To help alleviate the confusion and fear, educate people to the court systems and make the overall process more efficient, a new volunteer and intern program has been introduced to make the court a more user-friendly environment, she said.
“We want the court to be viewed as a part of every-day life,” Henderson said. “It helps if we have a more educated litigant base, and it makes for a more pleasant work environment if people aren’t as anxious or lost.”
The program is open to anyone who would like to become more involved in the community and at the same time learn how one of the more perplexing government bodies operates, she said.
“The experience would be interesting and particularly meaningful to any student aspiring to any law enforcement or legal-related field, or a senior citizen who would like to become active in the community,” Henderson said.
The program involves the San Benito, Monterey, Santa Cruz and Santa Clara courts and is funded by a $45,000 grant the Superior Court of California Administration Offices of the Court issued in February, said Dr. Dale Stansbury, grant coordinator from the Santa Clara County Superior Court.
The program will eventually include positions such as a judicial intern, legal assistant, computer aide, information assistant and interpreter. Because the program is still in its infancy, at this time the courts are looking for information volunteers and computer aides, Stansbury said.
Information volunteers will come into the courts for about four hours in the morning to help people find what courtroom or office they need to go to, Stansbury said.
Computer aides will help people access the court’s public computer systems to find information and help them fill out forms so they can go to court prepared, he said.
“The court is limited to providing information, not advice,” he said. “This is all being done to provide people with information to help them participate in the court process.”
The grant for the program is annual and Henderson said she expects the courts to receive it again to keep the program going.
While they have the money, coordinators are trying to garner a large enough volunteer base to keep it going even if grant money isn’t coming in, Stansbury said.
While other courts in the region have received general applications, San Benito hasn’t received any yet, he said.
“One problem is that San Benito doesn’t have the numbers of people to make it easy to recruit,” he said. “We’re working on neighboring communities to see if folks from Gilroy can drive down there.”
Anyone can apply to be a volunteer by logging onto the court’s Web site at www.sccsuperiorcourt.org/volunteer, by picking up an application at the San Benito County Superior Court, located at 440 Fifth St., room 205 or 390, or contact Frances Henderson at (831) 636-4079.
