Access to Justice: Language Access Services and Court Assistance

The New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts is committed to ensuring equal access to and full participation in court programs, court services, and court activities for qualified individuals with disabilities, including attorneys, litigants, defendants, probationers, witnesses, victims, potential jurors, and public observers of court proceedings. We are committed in providing assistance to court users who need help understanding and navigating court processes, which can be unfamiliar, particularly to those who are self-represented or who may have limited English proficiency or low literacy skills. As part of our accessibility efforts, the New Mexico courts are able to provide scribing services to those self-represented qualified individuals who are unable to fill out court forms in order to advance their cases in court.

The Scribing process assists people who are unable to read or complete court forms because they have low literacy, a limited ability to read or write in English, or a disability that prevents them from independently filling out a form. Trained court employees are available to assist court users by providing scribing services. Scribing services are only available using court forms approved by the New Mexico Supreme Court. The process includes reading the court form out loud, writing down the court user’s responses, and then reading back the responses to the court user to ensure accuracy. The court user will then receive their completed court form, which can be filed with the court. Scribes cannot provide legal advice.

Language Access Services (LAS) coordinates and funds court interpreting and other communication access services to ensure equal access to the state courts for people with Limited English Proficiency (LEP), as well as deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. The virtual assistant Clara can help people without a lawyer find resources. Clara can respond to voice commands and take you to the webpage you need. Check that your computer's audio and browser's microphone are on. Clara is only available in Google Chrome. 

• Scribing Services
• Language Access Basic Training
• New Mexico Judiciary Mandatory Language Access Training Video
• Interpreter Request Forms (Spanish)