This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
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