The DC Superior Court's Probate Division had the grand opening of its new Self Help Center on Thursday, November 8. The Center has an eLobby check-in, and then numerous kiosks with terminals that allow users to indicate what tasks they wish to complete (file a will, seek guardianship status for a loved one, etc). The program then walks them through what information needs to be gathered by the filer and what forms need to be completed and submitted, and allows them to fill-out those forms at the kiosk, print all necessary forms and file them with the Probate Division. The Self Help Center also provides filers with a roadmap highlighting each step in the process, from start to finish.
The Probate Self Help Center is located in Court Building A (515 5th Street, NW) in room 316. It will be open 8:30 to 3:30 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, starting November 9. On Tuesdays, it will be open from 8:30 to 12:30 only and the DC Bar will continue to operate a bono resource center in the space with assistance by volunteer attorneys in large estate cases only. In addition, the Center will offer free seminars for the public - 'Guardianship Orientation'' seminars will be held 12-1pm. on the second and fourth Thursday of each month, and 'Inventory Preparation When Handling Someone Else's Money' seminars will be held on the 3rd Thursday of each month, again from 12 to 1pm.
The DC Courts are committed to providing full Access to Justice to all litigants, whether they are able to retain an attorney or not. We are pleased to add the Probate Self-Help Center to the list of Resource and Self-Help Centers we have in all our various divisions, as well as mediation, to enable people to resolve matters as easily as possible.