Proposed California State Budget Nearly Triples Funding for Family Law Litigants

California Governor Jerry Brown proposes an increase in funding for California’s court-based self-help legal services program from $11 million to $30 million annually. These services are designed to provide legal assistance and information for family law litigants and others who are involved in civil cases.

Santa Rosa, United States – April 5, 2018 /PressCable/ —

Jerry Brown has released the proposed Governor’s budget for the State of California for 2018-2019 fiscal year. The Judicial Council of California reports that this budget includes a section that would increase the state funding for court-based civil and family law self-help centers from $11 million per year up to $30 million per year.

Navigating the legal process in California is deeply complex, particularly for those who do not have access to a professional representative. Yet, in 90 percent of California family law cases, at least one of the parties is not represented by a family law attorney. Altogether, 4.3 million Californians go to court each year in either civil or family law proceedings with a lawyer by their side.

The Judicial Council of California estimates that the proposed increase in legal services funding would allow state courts to increase the amount of litigants that they serve each year by more than 800,000. Currently, California offers self-help legal guidance to approximately 1.2 million people on an annual basis.

Sonoma County, CA family law attorney Charles D. Stark notes that “Many people go through complex family law cases without legal representation. While it is always better for family law litigants to be represented by a qualified lawyer who has taken the time to fully understand their case and their goals, that option is not available for everyone. Expanding the amount of legal services available directly from the courts will provide real help to many California families.”

To be clear, California’s self-help legal service centers do not and cannot provide actual legal representation to parties in family law cases. Instead, these centers can only offer basic services, such as helping people understand their options, assisting people with legal forms and applications, offering in-person workshops, and referring family law litigants to the appropriate legal services.

Certainly, California’s family law self-help services are not a replacement for an attorney; these services are not designed to be such a replacement. However, this program does allow California courts to prove resources to people who are in critical need of legal guidance.

Contact Info:
Name: Charles Stark
Organization: CHARLES D. STARK, ATTORNEY AND COUNSELOR AT LAW
Address: 3510 Unocal Pl #200, Santa Rosa, California 95403, United States
Phone: +1-707-527-9900

For more information, please visit http://www.sonomacountylawyer.com

Source: PressCable

Release ID: 325394