PHOENIX (February 7, 2023) – The Law Library Resource Center, part of the Judicial Branch of Arizona in Maricopa County, is relaunching the Lawyers in the Library program in partnership with the Arizona Legal Center. Members of the public can call or visit the Law Library Resource Center for details on availability or to set up a 15-minute consultation with lawyers on a wide range of matters such as family law and civil litigation.

Arizona Legal Center attorneys are on-site at the Law Library Resource Center in Downtown Phoenix about once a week. It is recommended that interested parties bring forms or documents they need lawyers to review with them when scheduling a consultation. Lawyers have up to eight available slots per day when they are on-site and Law Library Resource Center staff can provide members of the public with information on which areas of the law the attorneys can assist with on a particular day.

“It’s an important partnership for us mostly because we are a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide legal services to the community as part one of our mission and part two is to train new lawyers on how to provide legal services to the community, keeping in mind there’s an enormous number of people who can’t afford legal services and wanting to make sure that such services are available to everyone,” said Victoria Ames, president and CEO of the Arizona Legal Center. “We are training law students with live clients so that we can contribute to the community and teach the students at the same time, so it’s a great resource for us because we get to fulfill our mission in teaching the students and providing valuable services to the community.”

The volunteer law students who are present with a licensed attorney at the Law Library Resource Center can help with client interviewing, doing research and helping people fill out the necessary forms.

“They are first-year to third-year law students, and we utilize them to the extent of their current capacity. None of the students provide advice because they are not licensed but they are present with a licensed attorney and help do the research, ask questions, conduct some intake work, so they can practice their client counseling skills, research skills and get to see what law is really all about, which is about helping people. It’s not just textbook theory, it’s real people doing real work.”

For more information about the Lawyers in the Library program, contact the Law Library Resource Center at https://superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/llrc/, by phone at 602-506-7353 or via email at services@jbazmc.maricopa.gov.

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The Judicial Branch of Arizona in Maricopa County is comprised of Superior Court, Adult Probation and Juvenile Probation, which includes juvenile detention. The Judicial Branch in Maricopa County is the fourth largest trial court system in the nation and, along with its 3,200 employees, is dedicated to providing a safe, fair and impartial forum for resolving disputes, enhancing access to services, and providing innovative, evidence-based practices that improve the safety of the community and ensure the public’s trust and confidence in the Judicial Branch. For more information, visit www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov.

 

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