THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 1, 1996 TAG: 9601300132
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JOAN C. STANUS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 113 lines
When strolling through row after row, stack upon stack, of the richly embossed tomes of legalese lining a suite of rooms on the 13th floor of Dominion Tower, the average citizen can't help but become overwhelmed by the vast complexity of the U.S. judicial system.
After all, there are volumes and volumes of documents outlining U.S. laws, regulations and legal precedents that govern our lives: city, state and federal codes; the Congressional Record, classified legal treatises, the Federal Register, the Virginia Register, Virginia Acts of Assembly, reports from the U.S. Supreme Court, reports from the Virginia Court of Appeals, opinions from the U.S. circuit courts.
Traversing that maze of books can be a daunting task for those unschooled in the ways of jurisprudence. Where's a person to start when faced with questions about divorce, child custody cases, bankruptcy and other legal matters? Do they always have to hire a lawyer?
Not necessarily. For those wanting - or needing - a few answers or some help in tracking down case law and other legal matters, free help is at hand. Although they can't offer legal advice or make judgments about legal patterns, Norfolk law librarians Donna Bausch and Evelyn Campbell are available each weekday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to assist the public - as well as lawyers - find sources, precedents, cases and other legal information. Best of all, it's free, thanks to funding provided by the Norfolk and Portsmouth Bar Association and a portion of civil court filing fees.
``This is not the kind of facility where most people would want to just come and hang out,'' acknowledged Bausch, a law school graduate who also has a degree in library science. ``The law is not that interesting.
``But when the law is of a critical relevance to your life, people often come here for help. Most are very surprised at the complexity of legal resources.
``The legislatures and the courts are trying to use plain English more than in the past, but in Virginia many cases from the 18th century are still on the books. You can't escape the need to go through a lot of arcane legal language when researching some cases.
``It's also very time-consuming. This is not something hobbyists get into. Most people who come here have a reason, something that is real personal to them. We're here to help them, to see if they might need an attorney or to see if this is something they can tackle on their own.
``If you're not acquainted with the court structure or how a case progresses, you might not know what source you need. We try to talk people out, to find out everything they might know, so we can help them.''
The law library was created in 1987, when the Norfolk and Portsmouth Bar Association decided to take its collection public. A independent nonprofit foundation was created to oversee the facility.
Today, some 2,500 people a month drop into the center, located in Dominion Tower, directly across the hall from the bar association's offices. Hundreds more people call for help over the phone.
Most of the patrons who use the facility are in the legal profession, Bausch said. But some 30 percent are students conducting research or members of the public looking for help with legal matters.
On a recent rainy Friday afternoon, for example, an elderly couple was plowing through materials about estate planning, trying to bone up on information before going to talk to a lawyer. A middle-aged man was looking into case law about bankruptcy. A retired Norfolk judge also was doing research.
This library is not a staid center of legal volumes, collecting dust on unused shelves.
``In the summer, we're very busy,'' Bausch said. ``Every one of our seats are filled, mostly with law students.''
Although the catalog is accessed through drawers of paper cards, several on-line databases are available to patrons, including one that accesses legislation pending before the Virginia General Assembly and a Virginia-specific collection of codes and cases dating from 1925, available on CD-ROM.
Help specifically for people who have specific concerns is also available. Two dozen ``pathfinder'' brochures, easily accessible on shelves within the front lobby of the library, acquaints patrons with pertinent information to track such common areas of the law as divorce, family law, bankruptcy and employment. The library subscribes to several newspapers and magazines covering the legal profession, and maintains a collection of books with information on lawyers.
With only some 5,000 square feet of space, the facility is filling up quickly.
``Legal research is growing exponentially,'' Bausch said. ``It's amazing. We try to keep up ... but we make a lot of referrals to other libraries because academic libraries have a lot more money and space than we do.''
The money part of the picture, however, has been shrinking in recent years. A ``quirk'' in a 1992 law has reduced the facility's funding significantly in recent years.
Although the facility is widely used, Bausch and her small staff are still eager to let more of the public know that they're available and willing to serve their needs.
``There's a lot more interest in the law and legal matters on the part of the general public in the last decade,'' she said. ``And let's face it, there's more legal activity going on. Unfortunately, there's a large unserved population, falling somewhere in that gap between those who can afford lawyers and those who can't.
``Maybe we can be the first step in seeing if someone needs a lawyer or if they have a case to pursue ... or providing some help in complex and involved legal materials.
``This can be a first stop for everybody, and, hopefully, a last stop for some. At any rate, coming here for help is much better than doing without any help at all.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by JIM WALKER
Rebecca McFerren, an associate at a law firm, does some research at
the Norfolk Public Law Library.
Law librarian Donna Bausch helps find legal information.
by CNB