Comments on: help for the pro se defendant http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/shlep/2006/11/10/help-for-the-pro-se-defendant/ news, views and info on self-help law and pro se litigation Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:11:37 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5.2 hourly 1 By: david giacalone http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/shlep/2006/11/10/help-for-the-pro-se-defendant/comment-page-1/#comment-213 david giacalone Fri, 10 Nov 2006 20:48:44 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/shlep/2006/11/10/help-for-the-pro-se-defendant/#comment-213 A frequent situation in family court where the respondent is very often both unrepresented and unsophisticated is in a case where a petitioner is trying to establish the parentage of a child. Better information on the topic would be much appreciated. The usually helpful California Courts' Self-Help Center has a rather uninformative <a href="http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp/family/parentage/intro.htm" rel="nofollow">Introduction to Parentage</a>. It has a webpage on <a href="http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp/family/parentage/establish.htm" rel="nofollow">How to Establish Parentage</a> but none for the respondent. Likewise, the <a href="http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp/family/parentage/parentageqna.htm" rel="nofollow">Questions About Parentage</a> webpage only lists topics relating to establishing parentage, with none about contesting it. On the other hand, the <a href="http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp/family/parentage/parentageforms.htm" rel="nofollow">Forms and Instructions page for Parentage cases</a> does have both Forms to Bring an Action to Establish Parentage and Forms to Use If You Were Served With a Petition to Establish Parental Relationship (Form FL-200 or 1296.60), and the basic form to <a href="http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/forms/fillable/fl220.pdf" rel="nofollow">Respond to a Parentage</a> petition is fairly easy to understand and fill out (for me, at least). New York State's CourtHelp website has a brief, fairly balanced <a href="http://www.courts.state.ny.us/courthelp/faqs/paternity.html" rel="nofollow">information page about "paternity" cases</a> (and even tell the respondent that a lawyer will be provided if he cannot afford one), but the <a href="http://www.courts.state.ny.us/courthelp/forms.html" rel="nofollow">Family Law Forms</a> section only has a form to Petition for Paternity, not one to respond to the petition. Are there states out their doing a better job? A frequent situation in family court where the respondent is very often both unrepresented and unsophisticated is in a case where a petitioner is trying to establish the parentage of a child. Better information on the topic would be much appreciated.

The usually helpful California Courts’ Self-Help Center has a rather uninformative Introduction to Parentage. It has a webpage on How to Establish Parentage but none for the respondent. Likewise, the Questions About Parentage webpage only lists topics relating to establishing parentage, with none about contesting it. On the other hand, the Forms and Instructions page for Parentage cases does have both Forms to Bring an Action to Establish Parentage and Forms to Use If You Were Served With a Petition to Establish Parental Relationship (Form FL-200 or 1296.60), and the basic form to Respond to a Parentage petition is fairly easy to understand and fill out (for me, at least).

New York State’s CourtHelp website has a brief, fairly balanced information page about “paternity” cases (and even tell the respondent that a lawyer will be provided if he cannot afford one), but the Family Law Forms section only has a form to Petition for Paternity, not one to respond to the petition.

Are there states out their doing a better job?

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