Externship Items | Alaska Court System, Family Law Self-Help Center

Externship Description

The Family Law Self-Help Center manages the Early Resolution Program, wherein self-represented litigants in newly filed divorce and custody cases work with volunteer attorneys, court mediators and a settlement judge during an afternoon hearing when 6 cases are mass calendared. Externs will work with ERP manager to screen cases appropriate for mediation, and work with attorneys functioning as neutrals to help parties to resolve their cases, including co-mediating child custody matters with experienced attorney neutrals, helping draft agreements, child support orders, putting agreements on the record in the courtroom. If extern is or becomes sufficiently experienced, the extern may mediate some cases alone (likely marital property and debt matters). Externs will work with ERP parties in the Anchorage and Palmer courts. The extern will also help with the Modification Resolution Program in the Anchorage court where parties requesting custody and child support modifications work with court mediators and a settlement judge to attempt resolution. The extern may also conduct legal research on family law matters relevant to the resolution program cases, (e.g., the impact of certain property and debt allocations on public benefits; impact of bankruptcy filing on pending divorce case; tax implications from certain property and debt allocations).

The FLSHC assists 7500 people a year to understand court procedure and forms through a statewide toll-free telephone helpline. The extern would also work with self-represented litigants to provide legal information about family law court procedures and options for forms. The extern would help the FLSHC staff attorney to teach the Hearing and Trial Preparation Class to self-represented litigants, explaining the procedures and issues relevant to preparing to appear in court in divorce and custody matters.