Logan • Utah's court system has expanded its Self-Help Center program to the 1st Judicial District.

The district covers Box Elder, Cache and Rich counties.

Residents can access a variety of legal resources online, by phone, text or e-mail to help them better understand and prepare for self-representation.

Self-Help Center Director Mary Jane Ciccarello told The Herald-Journal the program was created in 2007 in response to a growing number of court patrons who didn't hire legal counsel and lacked an understanding of the legal process and how to navigate the associated paperwork.

In a 2005 study, 97 percent of the more than 56,000 respondents in debt-collection cases were self-represented and 81 percent of more than 12,000 divorce respondents were self-represented.

The Associated Press