The San Bernardino Public Library has partnered with the Inland Counties Legal Services to offer free legal services to library patrons at the Norman F. Feldheym Central Library. The program, called Lawyers in the Library, will launch 1-5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 9.
Lawyers in the Library will provide assistance with legal issues including consumer law, housing, public benefits, elder law, simple estate planning and expungements. If necessary, participating attorneys will also be able to refer community members to outside resources for other legal-related questions.
“The reality is that most Californians don’t get help with the civil legal issues they’re facing,” Tessie Solorzano, executive director of Inland Counties Legal Services, said in a news release. “By bringing lawyers to libraries, we can help neighbors navigate tough situations and assert their rights, whether they’re facing an eviction, a consumer debt lawsuit, or other legal issue.”
Unlike criminal cases, civil cases do not have guaranteed access to an attorney. Instead, people who cannot afford or access a lawyer are often left to face their issues alone. With the Lawyers in the Library program, legal aid organizations and libraries collaborate to ensure justice doesn’t depend on a person’s ability to pay.
“San Bernardino’s libraries provide so many more resources for our residents than just a place to check out books,” Ed Erjavek, library director for San Bernardino Public Library, said in the news release. “We are very pleased for this collaboration with ICLS as another benefit for our patrons and community,”
Inland Counties Legal Services is a nonprofit that provides civil legal services to Riverside County and San Bernardino County residents in need to help break down barriers that prevent people from securing legal assistance. Inland Counties Legal Services started its Lawyers in the Library program in Riverside County in 2021.
“The Lawyers in the Library program has been extremely popular among residents in Riverside County, and we are proud to expand these services to San Bernardino library patrons,” Solorzano said in the news release.
Attorneys will be at the Feldheym Central Library, 555 W. Sixth St., 1-5 p.m. the second Tuesday of every month.
