Can We Help You? We can: • Direct you to a self-help center where you can receive assistance in representing yourself. • Provide you with the number of a local lawyer referral service, legal services program or other service where you can get legal help. • Give you information about law libraries and online resources. • Explain and answer questions about how the court works. • Give you general information about court rules, procedures and practices. • Provide you with available court forms and instructions. • Provide court schedules and information on how to get a case scheduled. • Provide you information from your case file. • Answer some basic questions about court deadlines and how they are determined. • Provide additional assistance in some circumstances to aid you if you have special needs. • Provide information, brochures and contact information about mediation and ADR programs in your court.
We cannot: • Tell you whether or not you should bring your case to court. • Tell you what words to use in your papers. We can, however, check your papers for completeness before you file them. • Tell you what to say in court. • Give you an opinion about what will happen if you bring your case to court. • Talk to the judge for you.
• Let you talk to the judge outside of court. • Change an order signed by a judge.
• Give you information about a judge’s decision until the judge makes that decision public. • Give you information that we would be unable or unwilling to provide to the other side in your case. • Interpret court documents or tell you what you “should” do.
Since court sta may not know the answers to all questions about court rules, procedures and practices, and because we do not want to give you incorrect information, we will not answer questions if we do not know the correct answer. For additional information, please contact a lawyer or your local law library, self-help center or other legal services program. Check the Maryland Judiciary website at mdcourts.gov for additional information on the courts, and for forms and instructions. See the People’s Law Library at peoples-law.org for more information on a range of Maryland law topics, and for information on obtaining a lawyer or mediator. See mdcourts.gov/mdatjc for more information about the Maryland Access to Justice Commission.
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