Effective January 1, 2011, the King County Superior Court passed an emergency rule that requires all self-represented parties to attend an Orientation Program.
The goal of the orientation is to effectively explain the court process to pro se parties in person instead of just handing out forms with instructions.
Attendance is mandatory and the rule is as follows:
LFLR 20. ORIENTATION PROGRAM IN FAMILY LAW MATTERS
Adopted on an Emergency Basis; effective January 1, 2011(a) Description and Applicability. To assist self-represented parties involved in family law matters and improve the efficiency of the court, King County Superior Court Family Court shall conduct an Orientation Program for parties in all cases filed under Chapter 26.09 RCW, including dissolutions of marriage, legal separations and major parenting plan modifications.
(b) Mandatory Attendance. In all cases referred to in Section (a) above, all self-represented parties shall successfully complete the Orientation Program within thirty (30) days of filing or service of the summons and petition. Successful completion shall be evidenced by a certificate of attendance filed with the court by Family Court Operations staff. Any party attending the Orientation Program prior to obtaining a King County Superior Court cause number shall be responsible for filing his or her certificate of attendance in the court file when the cause number is obtained.
You can read details about the rule here, on the King County Superior Court website. The orientation will require a small fee that the pro se party is responsible for.
What does this rule mean for me, a pro se party?
We all know that the legal process can be confusing – which is why Pro Se University offers a number of workshops and services to help you navigate the process. So it’s a good sign that the King County Court is starting this program. What the orientation will look like in implementation is still to be seen.
The details about this program and how Family Court Services will notify pro se parties that file after January 1, 2011 are yet to be determined. If you are one of these people, you can contact Family Court Services for more information.
Related: LFLR 20. ORIENTATION PROGRAM IN FAMILY LAW MATTERS (http://www.kingcounty.gov/courts/Clerk/Rules/EmergencyLocalRules.aspx )
The Brits aren’t coming, THEY’RE HERE!
Tonight, PIERS MORGAN, 45, starts his CNN contract on air, replacing the redoubtable Larry King, 77, in the time-slot of Larry King Live. King avoided controversy. Morgan looks for it. He comes from his editorship of the London tabloids The Sun, The News of the World, and the Daily Mirror. Interesting choice. I was only aware of him as a judge on America’s Got Talent.
But last night I saw him as an interviewer on a 2 year old show from England, with his take on Hollywood in January 2009 from the British POV. Much has happened since then due to the economy, but one remark of his rings in my ears.
"Talent success in Hollywood is measured by how much money you make – for others."
That is so true, and is why so many lives fall apart when the talented souls are no longer useful to the real world, and are left with personal identity crises. I’ve always avoided the middle men, the agents and managers and press agents, since my child actor days and the following 33 years with the late Lynn Redgrave. Now? My bad!
Then I watched the Golden Globes. Host Ricky Gervais is not my favorite comedian, with his scattershot technique. But the shots he lobbed to any and all sitting there were what we used to call Home Truths, nobody being spared. And my question is, is America going through a phase of self flagellation? If so, then Morgan will last just so long as he’s put up with. But his style will obsolesce the likes of Barbara Walters and Regis Philbin for a while. However, middle America won’t like him at all. Will that translate into money problems for CNN, the advertisers and the like? CNN is in it for the money, and as long as it comes in, he’s there to stay. But I think he won’t last too long.
Good luck to him, a healthy change – for now. Look forward to real debate Oxford style, instead of the steady stream of one-sided right wing invective which flows from most well paid radio talk show hosts, who assume we are a nation of idiots, and ignore the fact that there are a lot of schizophrenics out there. But that’s a whole other subject!
Posted in COMMENTARY