SEOLS hosts workshop first Friday of each month

There are many things that we can do on our own without calling a professional. Replacing a fuse or tripping a breaker doesn’t require an electrician. You don’t necessarily need to call a plumber to take a plunger to a toilet, or a mechanic to jump-start a dead battery. But when it comes to legal services, most of us can get a little intimidated. It isn’t something we generally think we can do on our own. Mark Cardosi, of Southeastern Ohio Legal Services (SEOLS) wants to change that perception.

“There are so many things people can do themselves. We don’t think about it in the medical or legal context, but in fact we’re doing it all the time at home. We’re taking an aspirin, we’re putting a band-aid on. We’re doing simple home remedies that medical personnel would approve.”

Cardosi explained that, like with other technical endeavors, while it sometimes pays to work with a professional, there is plenty that you can do on your own, if you are willing to invest the time and energy. You just need to “know what your limits are,” he said.

The nervousness about handling your own legal affairs, he continued “immediately brings the Wizard of Oz to mind”, noting the man hiding behind the curtain making everything seem more complicated than it actually is. “It really is not magic,” he said.

Some of the things that you can do on your own, according to Cardosi, include small claims, uncontested domestic matters like divorces or disillusion, and even expungement or sealing of records.

“The most obvious one, and one we don’t address often, are small claims matters,” he said. “But also things like domestic matters. Uncontested divorces… of folks that have been married very briefly, have not acquired any goods together or debts… it’s almost as simple as small claims. Disillusion packets have been out there.”

Packets, in fact, are at the heart of a lot of the DIY work that Cardosi and SEOLS advocate. By law, he explained, Ohio now has to have consolidated legal forms that will work in any court. While this wasn’t always the case, and some judges can still require additional documentation, for the most part a document that works in a court in Cleveland also has to work in a court in Columbus or Ironton.

These documents are all available on various websites, but the hard part is knowing all of the different documents you need to fill out to address a particular issue.

Cardosi explained that they have bundled together documents that are commonly used in different cases, to make it easier for folks to make sure they aren’t leaving important documentation out of their submissions. Sometimes this means you get extra documentation in your packet that may not be relevant to your case, but that, Cardosi said, is better than missing a key document.

Once you have downloaded the document pack that you need, he said, the next important thing is to make sure you fill it out completely.

“Even though it is tedious to go through and fill out forms, it is information that you know,” he said. “This is not a calculus or physics test. This is stuff you know. Your name. The other person’s name. Your child’s name. Date of birth. Etc.”

But while it is all information you should know, if your forms are not filled out properly or completely, they will be rejected. This is often where people get frustrated, according to Cardosi. Especially when a clerk rejects a form, but can’t assist you in filling it out properly or explain to you why it is being rejected. If you fill everything out fully and completely, however, you will generally have your documentation accepted. But if you feel like you are getting in over your head, he said, reach out to a lawyer.

Another important thing is not to ignore legal notices. In cases of debt collection, for instance, he noted that often the folks who have purchased a debt don’t have a valid claim to that debt. But if you ignore their notices, a court can make a default decision against you, even if you would have had recourse to have the debt dismissed.

“Most will send a long list of… written questions, that people will just ignore. That’s generally the problem, when people ignore things, because then the courts will grant defaults… Don’t ignore the paperwork. If you get in a lawsuit, don’t ignore them, because you could lose by default.”

Cardosi presents his DIY legal workshops at 10 a.m. on the first Friday of every month, at the Ohio Means Jobs office in Ironton. More information about the events, other services SEOLS offers and access their legal form packets can be found online at www.seols.org.