The Nevada Supreme Court Law Library was awarded a $75,000 Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) 2022 LSTA Last Chance Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), administered by the Nevada State Library, Archives and Public Records. The Law Library completed the grant project in October and used 100% of the funds to translate more than 65 self-help standardized family law, protective order, divorce, and custody forms into Spanish, Mandarin, Tagalog, and Vietnamese to ensure self-represented litigants of limited English proficiency (LEP) in Nevada have equal access to the courts.
In Nevada, there are over 276,000 LEP individuals who solely speak Spanish, Mandarin, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. This includes any person with limited English proficiency who utilizes Nevada court services. As the COVID-19 pandemic spread through Nevada, access to court services and legal resources have become increasingly virtual and the language barrier that LEP populations struggle with has become more apparent. Using the funds provided by the grant to translate standardized self-help forms, the Nevada Supreme Court Law Library hopes to remove some of the barriers LEP persons face and increase access to Nevada courts and self-help legal services.
The Nevada Supreme Court Law Library is a vital informational resource provided by the Court for the judicial branch, the bar, and citizens of Nevada. Its mission is to serve as a comprehensive current and archival resource for legal research conducted by the Justices and staff of the Nevada Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, and members of the public. The Law Library provides access to the legal materials necessary so users may knowledgably exercise their rights and obligations. Consequently, the Nevada Supreme Court Law Library recognized the need for translation of standardized Self-Help forms for Limited English Proficient (LEP) Nevada residents.
Forms are available on the State of Nevada Self Help Center website https://selfhelp.nvcourts.gov/, and via the Nevada Legal Kiosk website https://nv.legalkiosks.com/. The Nevada Legal Kiosks have been installed at 22 Nevada public libraries.
A full list of translated self-help forms is available online at https://nvcourts.gov/lawlibrary or by contacting the Law Library at (775) 684-1640 or reference@nvcourts.nv.gov.
Funds for this project were provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the Nevada State Library, Archives and Public Records.