Legal Self-Help Office, a new resource in Douglas County District Court, helps people with layers of legal issues ‘unwrap that onion’

photo by: Sylas May

There’s a new resource at the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center, and its goal is to help make going to court a little less daunting.

That resource is the Douglas County District Court’s new Legal Self-Help Office, located just past the court security screening area upon entering the building at 111 E. 11th St. The office opened at the beginning of May and exists to help self-represented litigants — in other words, folks who advocate on their own behalf before a court, rather than being represented by an attorney — find and fill out necessary forms and learn more information about court processes and other available resources.

The office is directed by Brandy Nichols-Brajkovic, who joined the District Court in January after a number of years working as a municipal court judge in Kansas City, Kansas. Nichols-Brajkovic spoke with the Journal-World about the office Thursday afternoon. Though the office is just over a week old, she said its objectives are already clear.

“The vision of the Self-Help (Office) right now is if you have a legal issue in Douglas County, in a lot of areas that means you’re likely to have multiple legal issues,” Nichols-Brajkovic said. “We want to really help ‘unwrap that onion,’ so to speak, and really get to the core.”

Maybe a client first came in for help navigating a landlord-tenant issue, for example, but that conflict turns out to have stemmed from losing a job as a driver, which in turn was a result of their license being suspended. Those myriad issues might come with even further complications to tackle, like wage garnishment.

The Douglas County District Court’s new Legal Self-Help Office opened at the beginning of May. The office is located in the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center, 111 E. Eleventh St., just around the corner from the court security screening area upon entering the building.

Nichols-Brajkovic said some of the help the office provides may be as simple as assisting with technical forms related to some of the issues on that list, but it’s just as likely that there might be a need to get clients connected with an attorney who’s capable of providing limited legal advice. But either way, the office won’t turn someone away if they come seeking assistance.

“I want everybody to be able to come in here,” Nichols-Brajkovic said. “Now, if I can’t serve you, then I want you to have a good understanding of where your next-best options are. I kind of consider it like a prescription pad.”

The people asking for that help could be everyone from folks with master’s degrees who just can’t afford an attorney — and who may just need to be pointed to the right form to fill out — to individuals who may need a bit more guidance because they’re in “crisis mode” or because English is not their first language.

The office is meant to support the entire spectrum of possible clients and to be respectful of their situations, Nichols-Brajkovic said. That’s one thing she said she really wants to get right from the start.

“The one thing I do really want to build in the beginning — because we only get one shot to build it — is representation right in the very beginning,” Nichols-Brajkovic said.

That means bringing on volunteers at the office who “look like the people that need us,” Nichols-Brajkovic said, or who have experienced the same kinds of things those clients are currently navigating. By extension, she said the hope is that might make folks feel more comfortable with seeking help — especially if they’re coming to a welcoming, calming space to get it.

The office is already working with volunteers with the University of Kansas’ law school, but Nichols-Brajkovic said she’s still looking for more people who might be interested in lending a hand. That could be anyone from attorneys to help with giving limited legal advice to everyday volunteers who just help with filling out forms.

And eventually, the aim is to get some other permanent fixtures involved as the office grows. That could include folks like a social worker, a community health worker or an eviction diversion coordinator. Nichols-Brajkovic said she’s also focused on making sure to extend outreach to the county’s public libraries so folks in Eudora and Baldwin City have easier access to the office’s resources, especially outside of the office’s current hours.

But that’ll all need to happen at a sustainable pace, she said. The more people the office helps, the better chance there is for trickle-down effects to occur — like helping folks feel more empowered or helping the District Court run a little more smoothly as a whole.

“This is (version) 1.0, but the overarching goal is this is a safe space to come in and ask questions about the legal system and know that you’re going to get answers,” Nichols-Brajkovic said. “This is just, in general, a safe space.”

Currently, the Legal Self-Help Office is open from 1 to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays and from 9 a.m. to noon the other days of the week, and closed on weekends. Folks who need help or are interested in volunteering with the office can contact Nichols-Brajkovic at 785-838-2483 or selfhelp@douglascountyks.org.

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