Legal Information for the Public


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January 22 - May 15, 2008

 Mon - Thur : 8:00 am - 11:00 pm
 Friday       : 8:00am - 7:00pm
 Saturday    : 9:00am - 7:00pm
 Sunday       : 10:00 am - 11:00pm

Holidays & Exceptions
See detailed calendar

Websites & More for Non-Lawyers (Self-Help Guides)

Free Informational Seminars

Lunch and Learn the Law
Schedule of informational seminars about the Hawaiian courts. Includes a video archive of past seminars.

Divorce Law in Hawaii
Attend free informational seminars sponsored by the Family Court of the First Circuit Court for Hawaii. Presentations include an overview of custody and visitation, child support, property division and alimony. Includes a video of a past seminar.

Websites & Self-Help Guides

Bankruptcy: U.S. Bankruptcy Court information for non-lawyers
Bankruptcy Basics
Bankruptcy Resources
Filing for Bankruptcy Without an Attorney

Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center
Fee-based service provided by the Hawaii Criminal Justice Center. The Center will search an individual's criminal history record for a $14 fee.

Hawaii Legal Aid
Offers self-help materials on a number of legal topics. Some topics include legal forms. Topics include: Consumers, Education, Family Law (Divorce and Child Custody), Juvenile Law, Health, Housing, Civil Rights, Immigration, Wills, Government Benefits, Seniors, Employment Law, and Tax.

Hawaii Judiciary Self-Help Center

• Forms
• Divorce
• Divorce Law in Hawai'i - Attend free informational seminars sponsored by the Family Court of the First Circuit Court. Presentations include an overview of custody and visitation, child support, property division and alimony.
• Small Claims
• Landlord-tenant Claims
• Regular Claims
• Traffic Cases
• Protective Orders
• Juvenile Proceedings
• Tips on Going to Court
• Courtroom Information
• Ex Parte Contact

Hawaii Legislative Reference Bureau - Legal Guides

• A Citizen's Guide To Participation In The Legislative Process
  Prepared by the House Majority Staff Office State House of Representatives, with contributions from the Senate Majority Office, State Senate.
  
• Guide To Government In Hawai`i 13th Edition, December 2007 PDF (2.2MB)
  Discusses state and county departments and their organization and the agencies of the federal government having offices in Hawaii.
  
• How A Bill Becomes Law In Hawai`i PDF
  
• How To Research Constitutional, Legislative, And Statutory History In Hawai`i PDF
  
• Using Hawai`i's Freedom of Information Law PDF (2.3 MB)
  A general introduction for the public interested in knowing how to access state or city/county records.

Hawaii Supreme Court Law Library - Subject Guides

• Child Support
• Hawai‘i Administrative Decisions and Opinions
• Hawai‘i Counties Rules and Regulations
• Hawai‘i Legislative History and Intent
• Hawai‘i Public Information
• How to Read a Legal Citation (PDF)
• Landlord-Tenant Code
• Legal Abbreviations (PDF)
• Legal Research
• Legal Resources for Court Interpreters
• Motor Vehicle Law
• Primary Law, Sources of (PDF)

Nolo.com
Nolo Press is the leading publisher of legal self-help materials. This website features the "Nolopedia" with free legal information on a variety of topics. Podcasts are also avaiable.

The Law Library has many titles from Nolo Press. Use our Library Catalog and search “Nolo” to find these helpful books. These titles are also available on ebrary.

Perfecting Your Appeal
Guide to writing an appeal, provided by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. A 28-minute practice guide video is also available at this website.

Public.Resource.Org
Nonprofit organization providing free access to case law online, NTIS documents, congressional documents and hearings.

Resources for Self-Represented Litigants
A list of helpful links compiled by the award-winning site selfhelp.org.  This website is sponsored in part by the American Association of Law Libraries, and the National Center for State Courts.