Delays could be on the way for family law cases in Sedgwick County
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Backlogs and delays could be on the way for family law cases in Sedgwick County District Court if they are not able to secure funding for their self-help center by the end of next month.
The pro bono lawyer who works at the center plans to retire this spring, but there’s no replacement in sight.
For seven years, Charlie Harris has been providing his legal help for free at the Sedgwick County Family Law Self Help Center twice a week. He said he’s helped around 14,000 people in that time.
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“The Self Help Center is actually a benefit to the judges because people come into the courtroom fully prepared to advocate for themselves with the right forms completed and knowing how to make somewhat of a presentation,” Harris said.
Lawyers aren’t easy to access.
“The going rate for attorneys in Wichita doing family law work is frequently prohibitive, and a lot of times they want a $3,000 to $5,000 retainer, which these people can’t afford,” Harris said.
Without free help parents could easily file paperwork wrong. The clerk who accepts it can’t say anything, and the judge can’t help either, so the paperwork can get rejected, leading to delays.
Harris says he hopes that making his position paid will help the court find someone to replace him in a year’s time. Even though he plans to retire by summer, he said he’ll stay on for another year if his position becomes a paid one.
Every judge who handles family law cases in Sedgwick County has joined in asking the county for $25,000 in yearly funding to pay either Harris or another lawyer to fill that position.
Sedgwick County District Court Judge Kellie Hogan said the court needs someone to help parents with complex paperwork so it’s filed fairly and correctly the first time.
“Without the assistance of a pro bono lawyer, we would experience, I mean, significant frustration from the public, from the court as well, significant delays,” Hogan said.
She said the paperwork involved with child support issues is complex and difficult to understand for people without legal experience. When people fill out the paperwork wrong, the clerk who accepts the papers can’t tell them it’s wrong or help them because they have to stay neutral.
So what ends up happening is when those papers are presented in a hearing, the judge may have to tell them to re-file the papers, causing significant delays.
Legal paperwork in family law cases can be hard to understand.
“I definitely need some help with trying to fill it out,” said Karrie Baldridge, a mom who was filing child support paperwork for her son.
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She says it’s difficult to understand.
“If I didn’t have this resource, I wouldn’t even, you know, I wouldn’t even know what to do,” said Baldridge.
“For people without experience in the legal system, I think they have a lot of questions,” said Judge Hogan.
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