Access to Justice: Self-Represented Parties and the Court

Northern Division

Consumer Debt Clinic

Serving Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties, a Consumer Debt Clinic was formed and began operation in 2009 in Lompoc before moving to the Northern Division in 2010. The clinic is operated by the Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County (LAFSBC) on Friday mornings, with a Spanish clinic held the first Friday of every month. In 2013, the clinic was served by seven volunteers assisting over 280 visitors, including between 5-14 people each day, with approximately 85 percent having chapter 7 questions.

The Northern Division’s weekly Consumer Debt Clinic has since been relocated from a second floor attorney conference room to the Clerk’s Office first floor lobby, opening to a full house of volunteer attorneys and self-represented debtors seeking assistance on Friday, April 19, 2013. The move improved communications between Consumer Debt clinic volunteers and Clerk’s Office staff, increased clinic visibility, and eased congestion near 2nd floor courtrooms. Along with the relocation, a new Resource Center was created in the Clerk’s Office lobby. The Resource Center is staffed by a Court clerk during clinic hours and provides forms and filing information. The Center also maintains a set of bankruptcy resource materials that clinic attendees may check out with a driver’s license.

Reaffirmation Agreement Clinic

Since the fall of 2000, reaffirmation assistance has been provided at the Northern Division in Santa Barbara to counsel debtors on their rights prior to reaffirming debt owed for property, such as an automobile. Instead of an organized clinic, the Santa Barbara County Bar Association arranges for volunteer attorneys to coordinate with chambers and meet with self-represented debtors before each reaffirmation agreement hearing.