External Resources
The following resource list has been collected by the Summit County Domestic Relations Court. Please remember that legal matters are often complicated and involve issues that are best handled by an attorney. We advise all litigants coming before our court to retain an attorney. If you do not know an attorney that you wish to retain, the Akron Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral Service can provide you with the name of a family law practitioner who will do an initial one-half hour consultation with you for a fee. The Lawyer Referral Service (LRS) can be reached by telephone at (330) 253-5038 or click here to fill out a referral
Court staff cannot give you legal advice. If you contact the court with legal questions, such as “what should I file” or “how can I do ___“, staff will refer you to Communtiy Legal Aid or the Akron Bar Association. There is not a help desk at the Summit County Domestic Relations Court at this time.
Procedural Information for Unrepresented Parties
GENERAL INFORMATION WEBSITES
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- Ohio Legal Help – www.ohiolegalhelp.org, is an organization providing plain language legal help information, interactive self-help tools, and other resources to help you navigate the court system. We recommend starting here whether you are filing a new case or responding to someone else’s complaint.
- Ohio Legal Help – Non-parent custody information – https://www.ohiolegalhelp.org/topic/non-parent-custody
- Divorcenet – available at http://www.divorcenet.com, this site is a great starting point for lawyers and their clients seeking information about the divorce process. Although the site is aimed at people getting divorces, it also provides some links sure to interest attorneys. It provides a daily answer desk staffed by an attorney guest columnist as well as Bulletin Boards on child support, custody and many other issues. There are links to resources for all 50 states, including to a free child support calculation tool in the Ohio section.
- Allaw.com – http://www.alllaw.com – This site contains information and links to legal research sites, bar associations, law schools, legal marketing, legal software and legal support services as well as the support calculator for Ohio linked to by Divorcenet at http://www.alllaw.com/Calculator.html. It also offers free legal e-mail addresses at legalemail.com. It provides search capabilities for legal research, an attorney finder search tool and much more.
- Law News Network.com – http://www.lawnewsnet.com – (formerly Law Journal Extra or LJX) – This site carries newspaper-like headlines and articles on the latest developments in the legal field.
- The Legal Village – http://www.legalvillage.com offers Akron Legal News subscribers quick access to local rules of court of other information provided by the Legal news. The legal news parent address is www.akronlegalnews.com. The site also offers free e-mail accounts at legalvillage.com to attorneys.
- Ohio Legal Help – www.ohiolegalhelp.org, is an organization providing plain language legal help information, interactive self-help tools, and other resources to help you navigate the court system. We recommend starting here whether you are filing a new case or responding to someone else’s complaint.
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LEGAL RESEARCH
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- Akron Law Library Association – http://www.akronlawlib.org/ – This site has legal links and information about library services. It also provides a more detailed list of legal resources upon request.
- LawCrawler – http://www.lawcrawler.com – Law crawler provides a search engine that searches multiple Internet based legal research sites by keyword.
- Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution – http://www.acs.ohio-state.edu/units/law/jdr/ – This site provides article abstracts and resources on ADR
- Washburn University School of Law Links – http://www.washlaw.edu/ – This site provides an EXTENSIVE list of links to legal research sources and legal organizations such as law schools and bar associations. You can add your site to their list by following the add your site link.
- The Law Engine – http://www.fastsearch.com/law/ – Legal Information Institute (at Cornell School of Law) – http://www.law.cornell.edu/ – You will find links to state statutes by topic for all fifty states, an ethics library and a listing of the few states that post opinions in their final, official format.
- Indiana University School of Law Library and World Wide Web Virtual Law Library – http://www.law.indiana.edu/law/v-lib/lawindex.html – This site provides extensive links by topic.
- Family Law Reporter – Cases – http://fl.bna.com/ – This site provides links to cases cited in the publication
- Family and Conciliation Courts Review – http://www.hofstra.edu/Communities/frame.html?bounce=/Law/fccr.html. You can subscribe, review past table of contents entries, and peruse their list of links.
- LawGuru.com – http://www.lawguru.com/ – This site offers free e-mail, free website space, a law library, chat groups and frequently asked questions by topic area.
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COURT AND GOVERNMENT
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- Summit County Domestic Relations Court – www.drcourt.org – Our site offers information primarily aimed at the public but is evolving to include downloadable forms, legal research links, and other information for attorneys and members of the public.
- Summit County Court of Common Pleas, General Division – http://www.summitcpcourt.net
- Supreme Court of Ohio – http://www.sconet.state.oh.us/ –
- U.S. Department of Justice – Violence Against Women Office – http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/vawo/
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PRIVATE AND NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS
- Akron Bar Association – http://www.akronbar.org – The Akron Bar Association’s site links you to information on bar services including CLE and offers a list of legal research links.
- Association of Family and Conciliation Courts – http://www.afccnet.org/ –
- Academy of Family Mediators – http://igc-vif-236.igc.org/ –
- Colorado Divorce Handbook – http://www.codivorce.com/default.htm – This site was developed by a Colorado law firm. It contains information on the divorce process in Colorado and contains legislative updates for the information of prospective clients. A good use of the Internet to build credibility for the law firm.
- Child Support Network – http://childsupport.com
- National Center for State Courts – http://www.ncsc.dni.us/ – This site offers everything from listings of court-related jobs to technology consulting services. The NCSC is on the edge in applying technology to the court business.
HELPFUL ARTICALS AND FACT SHEETS
- What to know and say about post-divorce romance. (Akron Legal News) – So you think you are ready to jump back into the dating pool? Here are some helpful thoughts about that pool and the impacts it can have.
- On Behalf of Children – Understanding a GAL (Court News Ohio) – What does a GAL do and what can you expect?
- Judge Cook Interview with WAKR 93.5 – No Fault Divorce
- Ohio Supreme Court Parenting Coordination Toolkit – This guide is divided into two parts. The first section is the rules of superintendence on Parenting Coordination. The second part are guidelines for establishing a parent coordination program/function within the court designed by the Association of Family and conciliation courts (AFCC).