Thursday, December 13, 2018  1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

The heart of an appeal is a well-written brief. This workshop 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 8/23 Individualized Help Writing an Appellate Brief" in the subject line.

Registration fee: FREE
Reduced-rate parking options available during registration

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

Thursday, January 10, 2019  12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

A civil lawsuit starts with the filing and service of a written complaint; the defendant must then file an answer or other response. These are called pleadings, and they set the stage for all that comes afterward in the lawsuit. In this class, learn how to prepare, file, serve and respond to civil case pleadings in California state court.

Class covers:

• Is filing a lawsuit a good idea?
• Identifying possible legal theories
• Drafting the complaint
• Service of summons and complaint
• Answers and other responsive pleadings

Presented by: Michael Schiller

Registration fee: $20
Non-refundable, payment reserves spot
Free parking in the Torrance Civic Center parking lot. Walk-ins welcome!
Forms of payment accepted: Visa, MC, AMEX (no checks or cash please!)

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.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019: Housing/Landlord-Tenant

The Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles (LAFLA) now offers a teleconferencing center right here at the Main branch of LA Law Library, where you can speak to a lawyer live, send them documents and get answers to important questions. They offer legal advice and guidance to eligible individuals regarding housing / landlord- tenant matters and victims of domestic violence who are going through a family law proceeding. They can also provide referrals to private attorneys, other legal services, and other resources as needed.

Descriptions of family law and housing / landlord tenant matters covered provided below.

Schedule and topics covered:

Family law and housing/landlord-tenant are covered every other week based on the following schedule:

• 1st Wednesday: Housing / Landlord-Tenant
• 2nd Wednesday: Family Law for victims of Domestic Violence
• 3rd Wednesday: Housing / Landlord-Tenant
• 4th Wednesday: Family Law for victims of Domestic Violence
• 5th Wednesday: Housing / Landlord-Tenant

Housing Clinic

What LAFLA Covers:

• Landlord-tenant issues
• Lock outs
• Security deposits
• Rent control
• Problems with conditions in the unit
• Subsidized housing
• Housing discrimination, including disability access
• Eviction Notices (3-day, 30-day, 60-day, etc.) to terminate a tenancy
• Unlawful detainers-complaints and responding to a complaint that's been served
• Trial preparation
• Setting aside default judgments
• Abandoned property
• Appealing to a judgment

What LAFLA doesn't cover:

• Inheritance of property
• Mobile homes
• Homeownership
• Foreclosure, mortgages
• Commercial leases
• Estate/probate matters involving housing and other occupancy issues

Family Law for Victims of Domestic Violence

What LAFLA Covers:

• Dissolutions/Divorces
• Custody
• Support
• Paternity
• Name change
• Domestic violence and restraining orders

What LAFLA doesn't cover:

• Dependency, Foster care, Child Protective Services
• Prenuptial agreements
• Inheritance

Client Prep Sheet

• Bring all documents to refer to
• Contracts
• Court papers
• Letters
• Receipts
• Bring court case numbers, if applicable

Appointment required. Please call: 213-785-2516 or ask at the Circulation Desk of LA Law Library for assistance.

Registration fees: FREE

Classes fill up fast, register today to reserve your seat! All registrants must check-in 10 minutes prior to class time to ensure your seat is not reassigned to waiting-list and walk-in attendees when classes are full.

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, December 17, 2019: 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Join the LA Law Library book discussion group as we conclude our year of Women and the Law with the true story of Eunice Hunton Carter, the grandmother of Yale Law Professor and bestselling author, Stephen L. Carter. She was black, a woman and a prosecutor, a graduate of Smith College and the granddaughter of slaves - as unlikely a combination as one could imagine in the New York City of the 1930s. When special prosecutor Thomas E. Dewey selected twenty lawyers to help him clean up the city's underworld, she was the only member of the team who was not a white male. Without the strategy that she devised, Lucky Luciano, the most powerful mob boss in history, would not have been convicted. Complicating her rise in the legal profession was her difficult relationship with her younger brother, Alphaeus, an avowed Communist who – together with his friend Dashiell Hammett – went to prison during the McCarthy era.

Moving, haunting, and as fast-paced as a novel, Invisible: The Forgotten Story of the Black Woman Lawyer Who Took Down America's Most Powerful Mobster, tells the true story of a woman who often found her path blocked by the social and political expectations of her time, but never accepted defeat.

Presented by: Katie O'Laughlin, Managing Librarian, LA Law Library

Registration fee: FREE
Register today to reserve your seat!