Court opens self-help center to aid citizens

The Dayton Municipal Court and the Clerk of Courts office have opened a self-help center on the first floor of Dayton Municipal Court, 301 W. Third St., in downtown Dayton.

The center features personal computer stations, law-related pamphlets, and court forms available to the public at no cost. Forms and pamphlets are being translated into the following languages: Spanish, Turkish, Russian and Swahili.

The center is open during normal courthouse hours (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday).

The Municipal Court and Clerk of Courts office received a grant from the Ohio Supreme Court in March 2019 to open the selfhelp center to increase access to justice for the citizens of Dayton and the surrounding community.

Area organizations including the University of Dayton have partnered with the Municipal Court and the Clerk of Courts office to provide additional information and assistance to the community. University of Dayton School of Law students will hold office hours in the self-help center, to assist citizen walk-ins. Law students will not offer legal advice, but may provide guidance on the court process. A schedule of student hours is available by calling 937-333-4471.

The current focus of the center is small claims, rent escrow, and evictions; however, there are plans to expand to other public interest areas such as: driving privileges, expungements/sealing of records, and other traffic and criminal case-related matters.