‘People’s Law School’ Has Short Course

First, there was the People’s Court.

Now comes the People’s Law School.

It’s going on right now at Pierce College in Woodland Hills.

Sponsored by the California Trial Lawyers Assn. and the National Community Education Assn., the course consists of nine two-hour sessions on Wednesday nights. The program began two weeks ago.

Rights and Issues

The classes are intended to educate the general public about legal rights and issues, according to CTLA Vice President Samuel Shore. Tuition for the entire course is only $5, to cover the cost of coffee and clean-up, and students may attend one or all of the classes.

The courses are taught by practicing attorneys who invite both general and personal questions. So, if you have a particular landlord-tenant problem, want to find out more about your own divorce or didn’t understand the ruling in the workers’ compensation case you filed against your boss, plan to register for the People’s Law School.

Come prepared. If you have a specific question, write it out in advance, and summarize the relevant facts so you can focus your inquiry quickly.

Each night is a different topic, so you can attend when subjects important to you are being presented. On Wednesday the topic is “Family Law and Adoptions.” There is no class April 15. Here’s the remaining schedule:

April 22--”Employment Discrimination and Workers’ Compensation Law.”

April 29--”General Negligence, Insurance, Insurance Rights and Victims Rights.”

May 6--”Real Estate and Landlord/Tenant Law.”

May 13--”The Legislature and How Your Laws Are Made.”

May 27--”Professional Malpractice Litigation and Products Liability.”

June 3--”Wills, Estates, Probate and Taxation.”

Almost No Charge

This is a rare opportunity, at almost no charge, to learn some valuable legal information, find out more about how our legal system is supposed to work and have many of your legal questions answered.

“It’s a lot safer than asking these questions of your brother-in-law, and I’ll guarantee you’ll get a better opinion,” CTLA’s Shore says.

For more information on the People’s Law School program, call (213) 660-6111 or (818) 719-6425. The two-hour classes, which begin at 7 p.m., are offered at Pierce College, 6201 Winnetka Ave., Woodland Hills, in the Campus Center Lounge.

Legal Brief

Another organization providing information about the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, which I discussed in last week’s column, is the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. If you have questions about the law, call the Immigration Hot Line at (800) 553-2555, which operates weekdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (It is toll free in California only).

Attorney Jeffrey S. Klein, The Times’ senior staff counsel, cannot answer mail personally but will respond in this column to questions of general interest about the law. Do not telephone. Write to Jeffrey S. Klein, Legal View, The Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053.