LAWPods: The Best Resource for Some of the Worst Times in Life

It is safe to say that when you find yourself in dire need of reliable legal information and resources, you are probably not having a great week. Maybe you are facing divorce, a child custody dispute, or are being threatened with eviction. When you factor in the financial strain of attorney's fees and the fact that the legal system quite literally has its own language and complex set of rules, it is natural to feel overwhelmed.

Harris County Robert W. Hainsworth Law Library LAWPods were created to help everyday people like you navigate the legal system with reliable information from specially trained library professionals and free access to the forms and legal resources you may need. 

LAWPods

Legal Access Workspaces, or LAWpods for short, are located at four Harris County Public Library branches and at the Law Library downtown. Another is coming soon to HCPL's North Channel branch. LAWPods are specially designed to provide free access to legal information, legal form templates, state-of-the-art legal databases, and, most importantly, the services of highly-trained law library professionals to help navigate legal procedures.

As their name suggests, LAWPods are small, standalone structures in select HCPL branches. They are equipped with sound-damping to keep private conversations private. a computer and monitor, and a document camera. They provide free access to top-of-the-line legal resources like Westlaw, Lexis+, HeinOnline, Legal Information Reference Center, and others. 

But, perhaps LAWPods' most significant feature for non-legal professionals, is the ability to talk live, one-on-one with a law librarian.

Law Librarians

"We are specifically trained in the law, and most of us came from some law background, whether it be paralegal, attorney, legal secretary," says Rod Hall, Associate Law Librarian at Harris County Robert W. Hainsworth Law Library, who holds both a law degree and master's degree in library and information science. All of the Law Library's librarians are members of the American Association of Law Librarians (AALL), which provides them with up-to-date "top-shelf training and organization," he adds.

The law itself limits what law librarians can do for you. Law librarians cannot give legal advice--for that, you will need an attorney. They cannot help you fill out legal forms or tell you if you have filled out a form correctly. However, their knowledge is invaluable and can make a huge difference in the outcomes. "I can show you how to look up laws. I can show you templates of forms for the papers you need to file. I can show you the policies and procedures of the court: when you have to file, where you have to file, and who you have to file with."

It is important to understand that small differences in circumstances can make a big difference to the court. When you make a LAWPod appointment with a law librarian, you are more likely to get the information and resources you need if you trust the process and let the law librarian use their knowledge to help you. "I can give you more information than you can handle," Hall says with a laugh "But when you say 'I need a Form 102,' I'm required to give you a Form 102," Hall says, "Even if it's a permit to paint your car black and you're trying to get temporary custody of a child. I will give you the Form 102 because that is what the law says I have to do." You will get the best results if you explain your situation and answer questions to the best of your ability. rather than telling the law librarian what your sister-in-law or a guy on YouTube says you need.

Access to Justice and Bridging the Digital Divide

The motivation for the LAWPods is simple: they are about giving people from all walks of life access to justice, but especially for those who may not have the financial means to take time off work, get a babysitter to spend hours doing their own research or to hire an attorney to represent them. "In many cases, we are their only option," says Hall.

LAWPods and the help they provide can and do make a difference for the people who have used them. 

"I want people to recognize that you're not going to win every case that I help with, but enough people are going to win that I consider my career a success because I was able to help them get something that they didn't know they were entitled to," says Hall, "And it really changes their lives."

LAWPod Locations

LAWPod appointments with a law librarian are available Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (with plans in the works to expand services to Wednesdays). LAWPods are available to the public for independent research any time library locations are open.