Legal Help Center

Hours, Location, Services

Legal Help Center (Facilitator’s Office)
Bill Santucci Justice Center Courthouse
10820 Justice Center Drive, Roseville CA 95678
Contact Us

About Our Services

The Legal Help Center does not represent customers in court.  We provide legal and procedural information and assistance with court forms. Our services are not confidential.   We assist both sides of the case equally.  To get advice or have a confidential conversation, you must speak with a private attorney. All services of the Legal Help Center are free.

What Types of Cases Do We Help With?

The Legal Help Center will attempt to steer you in the right direction in any type of case.  The bulk of the issues we help customers with are family law, child support, evictions and small claims.  Our most frequently provided services are listed by type of law, below, and we provide instructions and links if you want to try to do the paperwork yourself.  We are happy to provide in-person assistance if you want to come to one of our clinics or workshops. If you don't see what you need on this web page and you need assistance, just ask!

Walk-In Clinic Hours and Information

Self-Help Center
The Self Help Center is open:
Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Tuesday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Friday 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. (Effective October 5, 2012)

You might wait as little as 10 minutes to as long as two hours before you are seen in the Self Help Center. We can show you how to fill out your own forms on paper or on the computer, give you information about your case, and refer you to other agencies that can also help you. We will not fill out your forms for you in the self help center.

Fridays are our busiest day in the Self-Help Center, so we do not recommend coming on Fridays unless it is an emergency.

Auburn Self Help Services are available at the Placer County Law Library, 1523 Lincoln Way in Auburn, on Thursdays from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. These services are provided on a first come, first served basis. The court files will not be available at this location, so if you already have a court case, it is very helpful to bring all your court papers with you, if possible. These services are provided by Legal Services of Northern California's Pro Per Project, in partnership with the court's Legal Help Center.

Workshops

Start Your Divorce Workshop

We will no longer be offering the start your divorce clinic as of January 1, 2013.

Finish Your Divorce Clinic

This clinic offers one-on-one assistance with the paperwork necessary to finish a divorce. This is a very popular clinic with limited space. Plan to arrive early in order to secure a spot, as we often cannot accommodate everyone who wants to attend.

Note: In order to attend the Clinic you must:

1. Wait at least 31 days from the date that the Respondent was served with the Petition and Summons, and
2. Have filed your Proof of Service of Summons, or have it with you for the clinic and
3. The Petitioner must be at the Clinic if the divorce is “uncontested” (no Response has been filed), or
4. Both the Petitioner and Respondent must come to the clinic if a Response is filed. Both sides must agree on all issues that apply to their case. This includes: child custody and visitation, child support, spousal support and division of property.

This clinic is held every Friday, except for the Fridays before a Monday holiday. The courthouse doors open at 8:00am, and there are usually people in front of the courthouse waiting to sign up well before the doors open.

Where: Sign-ins are on the 2nd floor of the Santucci Justice Center at the Legal Help Center window.

What to bring: Stamps and envelopes or money to buy them (usually around 6 stamps or $3.00). Each person’s drivers license or other photo ID.

 

Divorce Video

This office has compiled a video/DVD called “How to do Your Own Divorce in Placer County (Without Shooting Yourself in the Foot).” It is 90 minutes long, and we recommend that anyone going through a divorce watch this video. It gives an overview of the divorce process and issues that may arise during a typical divorce case. It is available for free checkout at all public libraries in Placer County.

If you would like to purchase the video or DVD for $10.00, you may do so during court hours (Monday – Friday 8:00am – 3:00pm.)

You may also send a check or money order for $13.00 made out to Placer County Superior Court if you would like to purchase a copy by mail. Send it to: Legal Self- Help Center, Placer County Superior Court,  10820 Justice Center Drive, Roseville CA 95678. Please specify DVD or VHS and include your mailing address.

Instruction Sheets and Information

The Legal Help Center has many instruction/information sheets that are available to the public. These are offered in the pop-up menu that appears once you click on the type of case you have. (Family Law, Civil, Probate, Criminal). This means that, for example, if you want to file a divorce you would go to the Family Law link. There is a pop-up menu that will guide you to our Start Your Divorce instructions. Some common issues and their area of law are listed below:

Additional Online Resources

www.courts.ca.gov. This website is maintained by the California Judicial Council and has all of the statewide court forms used in California Courts. It also has an excellent Self-Help section.

Centro de Ayuda de las Cortes de California

www.lawhelp.org Provides information on legal issues and local Self Help resources for all fifty states. This can be a helpful starting point for dealing with out of state cases.