Got a Legal Problem? Your Site for Answers Is Moving

Stephen Hudak
OrlandoSentinel.com
August 21, 2007

They're often poor and frustrated and scared.

Many who walk through the front door of the Lake County Law Library are facing eviction or divorce. Some are angry with a legal system they can neither understand nor afford.

"A lot of what we do here is listen," said Sandra Lara, an assistant law librarian. "Many of the people who come to us just need to vent a little. Lawyers are too expensive. The judge won't listen. That's what they say."

Last year, more than 19,000 people used the library, which closed its office Monday at 202 N. Sinclair Ave., near the Lake County Judicial Center. It will reopen Thursday at 888 Duncan Drive (State Road 19) in the South Pointe Office Park next to Ace Hardware.

The move was prompted by a county plan to bulldoze the present site to build a multideck parking garage.

"It won't be as convenient for lawyers or citizens," Lake Circuit Judge Mark Hill said. "But, as the crow flies, it's only about a mile from the old one."

Hill, who serves on the library advisory board, said it may return to the judicial center once the cramped building is expanded.

He said the library provides citizens with access to law books and other resources that can help them in a legal dispute.

The library also offers do-it-yourself legal kits for divorces, name changes and for expungements, a procedure by which a criminal conviction can be erased from official records.

George Drummond, who resides in the Four Corners area, skimmed through a book at the library last week, searching for tips about filing a lien against a developer whom he said defrauded him.

"Lawyers can be a wee bit expensive," he said. "I have the time."

Drummond said he has used the library about five times to find answers to legal questions.
The library, which is managed by Clerk of Courts Jim Watkins, is mainly used by people who represent themselves, said Scott Roti, chief deputy in charge of courts management.

"It's an essential resource for citizens who want to understand the law and who want to use the law to help them through difficult issues," Roti said.

Also, more than 1,000 lawyers used its resources last year.

Funded by taxpayers and court fees, the library stocks hard-bound copies of the Florida Administrative Code and other law books that small or fledgling law practices can't afford.

Open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., the library's busiest day is usually Tuesday, often the courthouse's busiest day, too.

Lara said many patrons storm into the law library after leaving a child-support hearing.

Although library staffers almost always recommend that patrons consult with a licensed attorney, they cannot suggest one nor can they offer legal advice.

That angers some patrons.

"But there are a lot of answers in here," Lara said, gesturing toward a rack of books and pamphlets with helpful titles such as "How to Buy a New Car," "How to Win in Small Claims Court" and "How to File for Divorce in Florida."