Assistance from Volunteers and Nonprofit Organizations

Self-Help Centers [back]

In 2011, the Court achieved its goal of offering on-site self-help services to self-represented parties in all five divisions. Onsite self-help desks help the Court and the public they serve by providing free legal advice and programs for visitors; reducing the burden on judges and staff from filers who cannot afford the legal service necessary to navigate a complicated bankruptcy process; reducing delays for all parties that result from unrepresented filers requiring additional time and assistance from judges and staff; improving access to the bankruptcy process for all parties, regardless of income; enabling referral by Court staff, who are prohibited from providing legal advice, to those at the Self-Help Desk that can provide it; and offering an alternative to non-attorneys that are known to provide illegal and/or overpriced services.

Self-represented parties have immediate access to pro bono programs, during their hours of operation, at all five of the divisional offices in the District. Because of space constraints, the Los Angeles Division’s Self-Help Desk is located in a federal building next door to the Court. The Self-Help Desks in all other divisional offices are located either near or inside the Court’s intake lobbies.

Los Angeles Division

The Self-Help Desk opened at the Los Angeles Division in 2009 and serves the public two days each week. The Self-Help Desk provides self-represented debtors and creditors with chapter 7 and 13 bankruptcy information, forms, access to reference material, and referrals for additional legal assistance. Income-eligible individuals interested in obtaining more information on filing for bankruptcy can also apply at the Self-Help Desk to participate in a clinic about the bankruptcy process. The Los Angeles Division’s Self-Help Desk is operated by the Public Counsel Law Center.

Self Help Center Los Angeles

San Fernando Valley Division

The San Fernando Valley Division opened its Self-Help Desk in 2007. It was started by and is operated by Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles (“NLSLA”), and cosponsored by the Central District Consumer Bankruptcy Attorney Association (CDCBAA) and the San Fernando Valley Bar Association. Self-represented debtors and creditors are assisted two days a week. Pro bono attorneys coordinated by NLSLA hold weekly seminars and provide free legal information on bankruptcy. Topics commonly covered include bankruptcy filing requirements, the difference between chapter 7 and chapter 13, and where to find a bankruptcy attorney. The Self-Help Desk also provides computers on which debtors can view the Federal Judicial Center’s “Bankruptcy Basics” videos, in addition to other videos about key principles of bankruptcy.

Self Help Center San Fernando Valley

Santa Ana Division

The Legal Clinic was first established at the Santa Ana Division in 2001. In 2011, the clinic’s hours of operation increased from twice a month to weekly and are held every Friday. The weekly clinic is operated by the Public Law Center and provides free legal advice for self-represented parties solely in chapter 7 cases. In 2011, the clinic assisted a total of 795 self-represented parties. The clinic is co-sponsored by the Orange County Bar Association’s Commercial Law and Bankruptcy Section and the Orange County Bankruptcy Forum.

Self Help Center Santa Ana

Riverside Division

The Joint Federal Pro Se Clinic opened at the Riverside Division in November 2011. Modeled after the Self-Help Desk at the Los Angeles Division, the clinic is operated by the Public Service Law Corporation (PSLC), a non-profit law firm operated by the Riverside County Bar Association. The clinic provides assistance to people who are representing themselves in bankruptcy cases and/or federal civil actions. Through the clinic, PSLC gives free legal aid and advice to qualifying self-represented parties two days each week.

The clinic is a joint effort of the U.S. Bankruptcy and District Courts. Currently, self-represented parties seeking aid with bankruptcy filings can attend a chapter 7 seminar which discusses how to complete a chapter 7 petition. Since the grand opening, the clinic has assisted 270 self-represented litigants for District and Bankruptcy Court cases combined. Of those 270 assisted, approximately 82 percent of the self-represented parties assisted were bankruptcy litigants.

Self Help Center Riverside

Northern Division

In 2009, a consumer debt clinic serving Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura Counties began operation in Lompoc before moving to the Northern Division in 2010. The Bankruptcy Self-Help Clinic, operated by the Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County (LAFSBC), assisted 215 self-represented debtors in 2011. Volunteer staff attorneys are available twice each month to answer questions about individual consumer debt issues. Volunteer staff attorneys also answer questions by parties who attend the Self-Help Clinic.

Self Help Centers Northern Division