Resources

WWW.COURTS.WA.GOV

The Washington Courts webpage has a lot of helpful information. One of the most useful features is a collection of many court forms, some of which are required to be used and others of which are optional. Above is an image of the Washington Courts webpage (you can click it to go there) and the red box shows the link to the Forms page. Once there you can view a list of all the forms on one page or click a category to see a collection of forms on that topic. While not all the forms you may need are listed and all forms there will require you to know what is necessary to complete them (most of them have helpful descriptive headings), you can use them to organize yourself and get an understanding of the relevant information needed. If you start with the forms that you obviously need, then you can meet with an attorney for a consultation to find out what other forms you may need. The attorney can then review your forms wording and provide feedback on what you typed. My office offers a $100 consultation for 60 to 90 minutes where you can have me review your forms and give you advice. Thereafter, you can hire me on a limited representation and pay for the time you need to finalize your documents and prepare for any court hearings.

At the top of the page on the main menu are also links for court rules of procedure (how to do things in court) and links to local courts and their own local court rules (very important to follow the local court rules that may be different in each location). You will have to click a couple layers, but you can find all the rules and information that the courts and attorneys use. The top right menu item is a link to the page of other helpful resources and manuals / handbooks. If you have the time, they can be very helpful in understanding the legal process.

WWW.WASHINGTONLAWHELP.ORG

The Washington Law Help website is a non-profit organization with attorneys who write pamphlets and instructional materials for many different areas of law. There are many versions of each document depending on the specific facts of the case (for example for family law whether there are children involved or not involved). Although the information may be lengthy and appear daunting, take your time to carefully go through the material as it is very helpful. The legal terms / words may be confusing so this website has a glossary to help understand many legal terms. They also have some videos. There is also legal assistance from an employee for some qualified lower income persons. In King County you can call 2-1-1; outside King County call CLEAR at 1-888-201-1014 (weekdays 9:10am to 12:25pm); foreclosure prevention 1-800-606-4819; and veterans project 1-855-657-8387.

WWW.LEG.WA.GOV/LAWSANDAGENCYRULES

You may be able to find the laws and regulations that apply to your legal issue through the Washington Laws and Agency Rules website. If you perform an internet search with terms related to your legal issue and you wish to see Washington laws related to your search terms, then include "RCW" in your search as this is short for Revised Code of Washington; similarly, for agency rules include "WAC" in your search as this is short for Washington Administrative Code. That may get you close to some of the laws and regulations you need to know. One of the skills an attorney learns from his many years of education and years of experience is thinking of the different laws that may apply to the facts of a case and then researching those laws. Instead of stuffy law books in a regal looking library, all the laws in their current form are available online for everyone to read.

WWW.ATG.WA.GOV

Although the Washington Attorney General's office does not usually provide individual legal assistance to citizens of the State, it sometimes acts on behalf of a group of citizens in a matter of interest to the Attorney General. You can file a complaint online through their website. There is also helpful information on the website that can give you an overview of your rights as well as direct you to more helpful information. Most of the types of legal actions that can be done by this office can also be done by citizens themselves or with the assistance of a private attorney. Be very careful not to lose your rights waiting on their office; if you miss any statute of limitations or other time related obligation you can forever lose your legal rights.