Orange County Clerk Tiffany Moore Russell opened the county’s first Self Help Center in 2015 at the main courthouse in downtown Orlando. As a partnership with the Orange County Bar Association, the program offers professional attorney consultations and other legal assistance services for $1 a minute.
Consultations can be scheduled in 15-minute sessions (so, that’s $15 per session), up to a maximum of 60 minutes per day.
Attorneys who work within the program cannot represent any of the locals they consult with in court, but they can offer expert advice on certain types of cases: family law cases (such as divorce or child custody matters), small claims cases involving minor legal disputes, and eviction cases.
There is no income restriction or requirement in order to access these services, which are designed to help people who may not have the financial resources to hire an attorney to represent them in court, and may thus be forced to “go it alone.”
Nationally, only about 4 percent of tenants have legal representation during eviction proceedings, according to the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Council, compared to 83 percent of landlords. This places people who face eviction at a significant disadvantage in court.
“Many people cannot afford the cost of an attorney, and I saw firsthand working in legal aid, the need for obtainable legal assistance,” Russell shared in a statement. “I am very excited we have been able to expand this service to Winter Park with the help of the Orange County Bar Association.
Attorney consultation services through the Orange County Clerk of Courts’ Self Help Center are now available in-person at the Winter Park courthouse on Thursdays and available on Tuesdays at the downtown Orlando courthouse. Notary services, copy services, and assistance filling out legal forms is also available through the Self Help Center.
Where can I access the Self Help Center?
You can access the Self Help Centers some days of the week during the hours the courthouses are open.
The Winter Park courthouse location at 4037 Metric Drive — where county staff celebrated its grand opening last month — is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The downtown Orlando courthouse at 425 N. Orange Ave. is open Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Virtual Self Help Center appointments are also available Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
You can find more information or schedule an appointment for a consultation online at myorangeclerk.com. Those without access to the internet can also schedule an appointment in person.
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This article appears in Mar 26 – Apr 1, 2025.