Judicial Services Report 2016, 225th Anniversary Edition

Court Self-Help Center

The Judge Henry S. Kenderdine, Jr. Court Self-Help Center opened in July 2004, and it was the first center of its kind in Pennsylvania. In the years before the center opened, the court was seeing more and more people trying to represent themselves in certain types of actions, such as child custody proceedings, no-fault divorces, and license suspension ap- peals. There were only limited resources available to help these people, so, in 2002, the court began planning for a center that could help address some of these needs. The main purpose of the center is to provide one central location where self- represented (or pro se ) litigants can obtain some of the information and forms that they may need to represent themselves in certain types of court actions. The staff in the center does not give legal advice, and they do not help people fill out the forms; they provide an environment where people can access the tools and resources they may need in court. The center currently has 15 packets available; all of these packets can be purchased for a nominal fee in the center, or they can be downloaded free of charge from the court’s website. The subject matter of the packets is varied, including but not limited to: child custody proceedings, no-fault divorces, license suspension appeals, name changes, summary appeals, certain actions at the Register of Wills office, and certain actions at the Magisterial District Judge offices. All of the packets were prepared by people knowledgeable in that area of law, including court and elected officials, attorneys, paralegals, etc. Packets are updated as necessary to reflect changes in the law. During the first few years that it was open, the center sold an average of about 700 packets a year. However, since about 2009, sales have been steadily on the rise, and in 2015, the center sold over 1,000 packets. The largest sellers have always been the family law packets (custody and divorce), but again, since about 2009, sales of the IFP ( in forma pauperis ) packet have also increased. Packet sales, though, only tell part of the story of the success of the center. People really ap- preciate having a place where they can get information that is specifically geared to their concerns, even if after reading the sample packets they decide that they want to consult an attorney. When the center opened in 2004, it was called the Lancaster County Court Self-Help Center. In 2010, the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution to officially rename the center the Judge Henry S. Kenderdine, Jr. Court Self-Help Center. Judge Kenderdine had passed away unexpectedly earlier that year. Prior to his passing, he had been very active in the planning and ongoing work of the center, and he was committed to the cause of equal justice for all.