Jefferson divorce packets cut costs is the headline of Jason Riley's front page Courier-Journal story this morning, online here. Over 600 people have started using the forms. As we reported here last spring, Hon. Stephen M. George, Chief Judge, Jefferson Circuit Court, Family Division, was the 2007 recipient of the 1st Annual Family Court Judge of the Year Award presented by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Kentucky Chapter. Judge George was honored for his efforts in addressing the needs of pro se litigants, inter alia.
Steve Kriegshaber, CLE Chair, presented the award to Judge George.
Beyond helping individuals who cannot afford a divorce, these forms will hopefully help our courts process those cases of individuals proceeding without counsel. People who don't know what they are doing are contributing to the backbreaking clog in our judicial system. Kudos to Judge George and to Melanie Straw-Boone, Chair of the Louisville Bar Association Pro Bono Consortium, who spent long hours with her group developing the forms. 
Some pro se see these forms as nothing more than a trap for the uninitiated and unwary. Of course, we're all just biased in that it strongly appears that, after initiating a divorce action using one these "pro se" petition for divorce, an unrepresented litigant is going to be in way over their head after the respondent/defendant retains counsel.
Posted by: Barry McCarthy | September 05, 2007 at 11:51 PM