The Dayton Municipal Court and the Clerk of Court’s office have opened a Self-Help Center on the first floor of Dayton Municipal Court, 301 W. Third St., in downtown Dayton. The Self-Help Center is open during normal courthouse hours (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday).The Self-Help Center features personal computer stations, law-related pamphlets, and court forms available to the public at no cost. Forms and pamphlets are being translated into the following languages: Spanish, Turkish, Russian, and Swahili.
The Municipal Court and Clerk of Court’s office received a grant from the Ohio Supreme Court in March 2019 to open the Self-Help Center to increase access to justice for the citizens of Dayton and the surrounding community.
Area organizations including the University of Dayton have partnered with the Municipal Court and the Clerk of Court’s office to provide additional information and assistance to the community. University of Dayton School of Law students will hold office hours in the Self-Help Center, to assist citizen walk-ins. Law students will not offer legal advice, but may offer guidance on the court process. A schedule of student hours is available at 937-333-4471.
The current focus of the Self-Help Center is small claims, rent escrow, and evictions; however, there are plans to expand to other public interest areas such as: driving privileges, expungements/sealing of records, and other traffic and criminal case related topics.
