Lawyers offer free advice at courts

By Susan Essoyan

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Nov 19, 2012

~~<p>A civil courtroom can be an intimidating place for the average citizen, filled with arcane language and procedures, and stakes as serious as the custody of your child or the roof over your head.</p>
<p>"In the criminal justice system, everybody has a right to a lawyer, but not in the civil," said Intermediate Court of Appeals Judge Daniel Foley, chairman of Hawaii's Access to Justice Commission. "Even termination of your parental rights … or being evicted from your home, you have no right to counsel."</p>
~~

A civil courtroom can be an intimidating place for the average citizen, filled with arcane language and procedures, and stakes as serious as the custody of your child or the roof over your head.

"In the criminal justice system, everybody has a right to a lawyer, but not in the civil," said Intermediate Court of Appeals Judge Daniel Foley, chairman of Hawaii's Access to Justice Commission. "Even termination of your parental rights … or being evicted from your home, you have no right to counsel." Login for more...