The Self-Help Legal Center of SearchLaw offers access to resources for those persons who desire to represent themselves in certain legal matters.  The volume of Self-representation varies from State to State, with self-help being widely accepted in some States and highly discouraged in others. Common matters of self-representation include uncontested divorce, probate and routine legal matters.

Resources used by persons seeking self-help vary from complex legal research to simple legal forms.  Regardless of the degree of self-help representation you should always be reminded to seek the advice of an attorney for serious legal matters.

Resources for Self-Help include basically all legal resources linked in the SearchLaw site.  Some of the most common areas used for self-help may be the following:

Legal Forms - Routine legal matters may be handled by selection of the proper form.  The most common mistake here is selecting a non-state specific form and using it in a State in which it does not meet the legal requirements for that State.  SearchLaw has teamed with the Premiere Legal Forms site on the Internet to provide you with State Specific forms in many areas.

Federal Laws - The Federal Court system has done an excellent job of providing valuable data on the Internet to assist.  Opinions, rules and guides are available at certain sites. 

State Courts - Some State Courts provide self-help legal resources to a certain degree.  They also provide access to Court Rules and Opinions.

State Statutes -  All States have provided access to statutes, legislative bills and other resources.