Center provides help in finding information on legal issues, forms

By MARK WAITE

VIEW STAFF WRITER

Workers at the Family Resource Center often hear the troubling stories of Pahrump residents in need of assistance -- including their legal problems.

Now, instead of merely referring them to an attorney or the library to read Nevada Revised Statutes, Family Resource Center employees Jodi Petrulionis and Ronda Sue Freeman will have titles as legal information providers. The two won't give legal advice, but can provide forms for residents to fill out and allow them to use computers to access a Web site with legal advice under a joint project with Nevada Legal Services.

The Web site, www.nlslaw.net, will provide lawyer's advice on housing, like what to do if a person is evicted, welfare problems like the new welfare-to-work program and consumer problems, like car repairs. The correct legal forms can be printed out from the computer.

Lesley H. Stronach, a paralegal with Legal Forms-Pahrump, said the legal forms would be useful to cases she sees, like unmarried residents trying to decide what to do with their children or trusting seniors who have been swindled out of their money.

"This is the first example in Pahrump and one of the first examples in the state of the new age of law, and it's prompted by a legal system that's not accessible by a lot of people," said Wayne Pressel, executive director of Nevada Legal Services.

Nevada Legal Services wants to expand the program more into providing information on family court and information for low wage earners, Pressel said. That could include information on workmen's compensation, the minimum wage, unemployment compensation and vocational rehabilitation.

"Can you do your own divorce? I think you can. Can you draw up your own motion and present it in front of a judge? I think you can," Pressel told a gathering that included representatives from the Pahrump Senior Center, Progressive Choices, Nye County School District and the Nye County Sheriff's Department.

Nevada judges are now required to accept forms filed pro se, or filed by people without an attorney, Pressel said. The two employees at Family Resource Center are trained in showing people the Web sites and will be attending Boyd School of Law courses on small claims and family court, he said.

"That is a very big step for the Supreme Court to tell lower courts 'we're going to devise forms that you have to accept,'" Pressel said. "That is really symptomatic of where our legal system is going."

"This is of particular interest to communities like Pahrump or Tonopah or Gabbs," he said.

Mary Long, managing director of the Family Resource Center, said she became interested in the idea after working briefly as a deputy county clerk in Nye County. The clerks weren't allowed to give legal advice, she said. Long said she was impressed by the professionalism of Pressel's organization.

While an attorney could ultimately be necessary, citizens filling out their own forms and getting the basics could perform some of the legal work, Pressel said.

Bob Glennen, who maintains an office in Pahrump, said he handles three to four hours per month without charge. Glennen, who will be closing his Pahrump office this summer, said there are over a dozen attorneys who receive money from Pahrump clients who should volunteer their services. Hopefully one of the Pahrump judges will put pressure on practicing attorneys to offer pro bono services, he said.

"Where we've had success in recruiting lawyers is when judges respond," Pressel added. An aspirational goal is for attorneys to provide 20 hours of free legal work per year and 60 hours at a reduced fee, he said.

New Fifth District Court Judge Robert Lane, who sat in at the end of the discussion, said he'd be interested in working with the group. Lane added he has talked to Department 10 District Judge Jack Lehman from Las Vegas about starting a drug court and Department F District Judge Robert E. Gaston of Las Vegas about opening a juvenile court.

"I know we've had problems with juvenile delinquency and a lot of drug problems," Lane said.

Pressel admitted Nevada Legal Services suffered a black eye when Pahrump attorney Dwight Duncan, who claimed to be representing the company, fled town abandoning 97 cases.

"The vast majority of his cases had nothing to do with Nevada Legal Services. They were his private cases," Pressel said. "The State Bar permitted me to seize his cases."

"There were 97 cases in total, 95 of them were his private cases. Two were our responsibility for which we've taken responsibility," he said. "I've sent letters to the 95, so far I've gotten' about 25 of them attorneys."

Glennen said it's difficult for clients to qualify for pro bono, or free legal help. Others may find it difficult, while working minimum wage jobs, to travel to Las Vegas, for legal help, he said. Glennen charges $150 per hour.

"The DA's office is often a place that gets hit up when people don't know," Pressel said.