Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018   2:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

The heart of an appeal is a well-written brief. This training provides one-on-one assistance with writing, rewriting and formatting a brief and provides tips to avoid common mistakes in legal writing. Library resources for brief-writing will also be covered.

What to bring to the workshop:
This class involves one-on-one instruction and review of drafts. If you are working on a draft, bring two copies – one for you and one for the volunteer attorney. Please bring a pen or pencil and your reading glasses (if you need them).

IMPORTANT NOTE: This workshop is exclusively for self-represented litigants who have reached the stage of an appeal where they are ready to draft a brief. Only those who have been pre-screened by the Appellate Self-Help Clinic at the Court of Appeal may participate. To be admitted to the workshop attendees must present a written referral form from the Clinic.

The Appellate Self-Help Clinic is located on the Second Floor of the North Tower of the Ronald Reagan State Building, across from the Clerk's Office at 300 South Spring Street in downtown Los Angeles. The Clinic's hours of operation are:

• Most Wednesdays - 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• The last Wednesday of each month - 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. ONLY.

If you cannot visit the clinic, you may obtain a referral by emailing the staff attorney. The staff attorney's email address is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please include "Requesting referral to 10/25 Individualized Help Writing an Appellate Brief" in the subject line.

Presented by:
Tyna Orren, Certified Specialist, Appellate Law, Orren & Orren

LA Law Library does not provide legal advice:
LA Law Library does not provide legal advice. LA Law Library provides legal resources and assistance with legal research as an educational service. The Law Library is pleased to offer our patrons the opportunity to obtain assistance from third party legal service providers at this and other events within the Library. However, the Library does not control and is not responsible for the content or scope of any assistance given by those providers.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Attorneys and advocates from Disability Rights California's Voting Rights Practice Group will discuss the state and federal requirements for accessible voting and California's recent election reforms. The presentation will explain why it is important for voters with disabilities to be able to vote privately and independently. The presentation will focus on LA County's coming shift to vote centers and all new voting equipment.

Class covers:

• Requirements such as accessible voting systems for in-person voting
• New technology that will allow for accessible vote by mail
• Rules for voting if under a conservatorship
• Steps California has taken to improve voter registration rates
• LA County's development of innovative new accessible voting equipment
• Shift to vote centers in 2020 under the Voter's Choice Act
• Opportunities to join local committees to help improve election accessibility

This presentation can also be watched in real-time on our YouTube channel (under LA Law Library).

***CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE CLASS RECORDING***

Presented by:
Paul Spencer, Attorney, Disability Rights California
Gabe Taylor, Voting Rights Advocate, Disability Rights California

Real-time captioning (CART) is available for this class for those who bring an internet-capable device.

LA Law Library does not provide legal advice:
LA Law Library does not provide legal advice. LA Law Library provides legal resources and assistance with legal research as an educational service. The information presented in this program is not legal advice and is provided solely as an educational service to our patrons. For legal advice, you should consult an attorney.

Friday, Oct. 26, 2018   10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Were you denied housing or employment based on a criminal record? An expungement is a way to break barriers for a brighter future. Certain misdemeanors can be changed to "expunged" on your record showing the case was effectively dismissed. The Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office provides free record-cleaning services. Attorneys and paralegals will help in filling out expungement forms and reducing nonviolent felonies to misdemeanors through Prop 47.

Free one-on-one assistance provided with:

• Obtaining a criminal history report for cases in LA County
• Filing a petition to expunge certain misdemeanors
• Getting a nonviolent felony reduced to a misdemeanor under Prop 47
• Getting some marijuana offenses cleared under Prop 64

Presented by:
Los Angeles County Public Defender's Office (http://pd.co.la.ca.us/)

LA Law Library does not provide legal advice:
LA Law Library does not provide legal advice. LA Law Library provides legal resources and assistance with legal research as an educational service. The Law Library is pleased to offer our patrons the opportunity to obtain assistance from third party legal service providers at this and other events within the Library. However, the Library does not control and is not responsible for the content or scope of any assistance given by those providers.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019: 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Technology is changing the way we do many things, and researching the law is no exception. Startups have entered the field and are disrupting the way established databases work. In this class, learn about new legal research platforms and techniques that offer innovative ways to search the law and locate relevant results. Also learn how looming changes involving big data and artificial intelligence will soon alter how we do legal research.

Presented by: Austin Stoub, Senior Librarian, LA Law Library

LA Law Library does not provide legal advice:
LA Law Library provides access to legal resources and assistance with legal research. LA Law Library does not provide legal advice. For legal advice, you should consult an attorney.