Self Help Workshops and Informational Pages

WORKSHOPS

Kern County Law Library currently offers two monthly workshops – one on expungement of old convictions, and one on simplified probate procedures.  Kern County Law Library’s workshops are free and are offered via Zoom – You can sign up for either (or both) by clicking here and registering.

INFORMATIONAL PAGES

The Kern County Law Library has also created pages with informational content on common processes in the courts.  These include informational pages on cleaning one’s criminal record, civil name changes, civil harassment restraining orders, and traffic motions.  Use the dropdown menu under the Self-Help heading above to view these pages.

READING MATERIALS

The Law Library also offers free access to the Nolo collection of Self-Help titles.  If you are interested in exploring Self-Help solutions rather than seeking formal legal representation, you can read on a variety of different topics for free.  These topics include:

• Business and Corporations – accounting, audits, buying or selling a business, consulting & contracting, employee rights, human resources, making a profit, nonprofit organizations, ownership structures, sales & marketing, starting a business.
• Divorce and Family – marriage and divorce, adoption, child custody, family pets, and co-parenting.
• Immigration and Travel – fiance & marriage visas, getting a green card, student and tourist visas, U.S. citizenship.
• Money and Financial Planning – bankruptcy, credit repair & debt, identity theft, life insurance, personal finance, social security & retirement, taxes.
• Patents, Copyright, and Trademarks – copyrights, creative arts & music, patents, trademarks, trade secrets.
• Property and Real Estate – buying a house, foreclosure, homeowners, landlords & property management, renters’ and tenants’ rights, selling a house.
• Rights and Disputes – criminal law, employee and consumer rights, lawsuit or mediation, personal injury, renters’ and tenants’ rights, represent yourself in court, small claims court, traffic tickets & accident claims.
• Wills and Estate Planning – These titles allow you to explore different options to get your affairs in order, including how to create wills, trusts, living wills (also known as advance health care directives) and powers of attorney.

  CLICK HERE and use state abbreviation ca and password kern to log on for unlimited free access.

THE JUDICIAL BRANCH WEBSITE

There is also a great deal of information available here:  http://www.courts.ca.gov/selfhelp.htm

The Judicial Branch website is a great resource on a wide range of topics.  It provides fillable court forms, detailed step-by-step guides to a whole host of different processes under the law, and links to valuable information.