The Clerk of Courts Help Center (The Center) provides free, limited assistance to people who are representing themselves in civil matters in Hamilton County Municipal Court, custody matters in Hamilton County Juvenile Court, as well as specific issues in Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas and First District Court of Appeals, to help them better represent themselves.

The Center is not intended to replace the advice of a lawyer you might otherwise hire. You should consider the costs and benefits of hiring a lawyer to represent you before deciding to represent yourself.

The Center is staffed by:

• Full-time Executive Director – who is a licensed attorney
• Licensed attorneys – some are staff, some are volunteers on a rotating basis
• Law Students – who are trained to provide information and prepare certain documents under the supervision of a licensed attorney, but CANNOT give any legal advice
• Non-lawyer staff – who provide clerical, non-legal support, but CANNOT give any legal advice

The Center lawyers and law students:

• Provide you with basic information about court procedures
• Help you complete court forms

The Center lawyers :

• Will only provide limited legal advice about civil matters, such as process, court procedures, and completing documents in your case
• Will only provide assistance during your visit to The Center
• Will only consider the information you give them
• Will not be able to give you comprehensive legal advice
• Will not be able to conduct comprehensive legal research on your matter
• Will not be able to perform any independent or comprehensive investigation of your matter
• May conclude that, given your situation, she/he advises you to seek more extensive legal advice from another lawyer

The Center WILL NOT:

• Represent you in court
• Be responsible for taking any action for you
• Have any involvement in assisting you after your visit to The Center
• Retain any of your documents or records, whether in electronic format or in hard copy

Conflicts of Interest:

These conflicts happen when a lawyer at The Center may have helped another party involved in your case who has interests that are against your interests.

• If you are aware that a lawyer with The Center has already helped someone else involved in your case, you must tell The Center.
• If any lawyer at The Center is aware of a conflict of interest because of assisting someone else involved in your case or another reason known by that lawyer, that lawyer will NOT be able to help you in any way.
• Volunteer lawyers with The Center are not required to systematically check conflicts of interest with their law firms, due to the limited nature of consultations at The Center.