About Us

The Self Help Center is a special project of the Franklin County Municipal Court set up to provide information to self-represented parties. The Center is a free walk-in service designed to help those who want to start or already have a civil case pending in the Franklin County Municipal Court.

Staff cannot offer legal advice but can provide you with helpful resources and legal information. All materials are products of the Self Help Center or outside entities and have been reviewed by attorneys. Materials and information are provided as a public service and are not to be considered legal advice. Any questions about how to use the materials for your case are best answered by an attorney.

What We Can Do

  • Explain and answer questions about how the Court works
  • Provide phone numbers to the lawyer referral service, legal services program, and other services
  • Give general information about court rules, procedures, practices, and terms
  • Provide court forms and instructions that are available as well as check forms for completeness
  • Give information about court deadlines, but we cannot compute court filing deadlines for you

What We Cannot Do

  • Recommend whether to file a case or what actions you should take
  • Tell you what words to use in your court papers or what to say in court
  • Research or interpret the law for you. For example, we cannot tell you how the law applies to your case
  • Give you an opinion about what will happen if you bring your case to court
  • Change an order signed by a judge

Legal Issues

  • Criminal Record-Sealing
  • Landlord/tenant issues—including evictions and rent escrow
  • General Division Claims
  • Small Claims
  • Creditor/Debtor issues

Resource Navigation

  • Find housing with an eviction or criminal record
  • Connect with health providers, financial assistance programs, and other social services
  • Find out what benefits you might be eligible for and apply for them

Can't find what you need here? We have created a list of helpful links to help with that.

External Resources

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