Legal Resource Center

We see many people in Domestic Relations Court who are not represented by lawyers.  Many people simply cannot afford to be represented.  Someone earning $8 an hour cannot afford to pay a lawyer $150 an hour.  Others become disenchanted with lawyers and decide to go it alone.   

The challenges for people trying to navigate the legal system in Ohio without the representation of a lawyer are so great that the Ohio Supreme Court established a Task Force to recommend solutions.  Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer appointed Judge Kovack to this Task Force. 

On the local level, Judge Kovack created a Legal Resource Center in the Domestic Relations Court. While it is open to the public from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm weekdays, it will be staffed at certain times by volunteer legal interns and by volunteer lawyers.  To start, it is staffed on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. 

The Legal Resource Center is not intended to be a substitute for legal advice.  It is meant to be a resource for people who represent themselves because they cannot afford lawyers.  It offers forms, books and information about family matters such as divorce, dissolution, visitation, custody, child support and spousal support.   

Judge Kovack opened this Center to help people help themselves.  She hopes that giving people information about and access to the court that they will have an easier time getting through the legal process.  Judge Kovack believes that when families fight, only the lawyers win.