Washington County Court of Common Pleas


Pro Se Arbitration Resource Guide

WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU CONTACT AN ATTORNEY!

If you choose to represent yourself, you must understand that you must follow the Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure in order for your case to be processed and your rights preserved! Civil litigation is a very complex process, and all rules apply even if the dispute seems to be a simple matter and/or the case does not involve a lot of money. Failure to follow these rules can result in devastating consequences. Most individuals seeking a medical remedy for a medical problem will consult a medical expert — a physician. If you are seeking a legal remedy for a legal problem, we recommend that you consult a legal expert — a lawyer.

DISCLAIMER

Court staff cannot offer any legal advice or help you fill out the forms. The information in this package is not a substitute for professional legal advice. The Court assumes no responsibility and accepts no liability for actions taken by users of these documents, including reliance on their contents. If you want to obtain the services of an attorney but do not know whom to contact, you may call either the Washington County Lawyer Referral Service or the Legal Aid Society. The phone number for each agency is located below:

LAWYER REFERRAL SERVICE: 724.225.6710
LEGAL AID SOCIETY: 724.225.6170

PRO SE RESOURCES

  1. www.washingtoncourts.us: This is the official site of the Washington County Court of Common Pleas. When you enter this website, you should select the link to ‘Portal for Case Participants’.

    • Select ‘Civil Division Local Rules’ and then scan through the rules until you reach Rule L-1301. Arbitration. This section will explain our local rules regarding some general aspects of arbitration.
    • Arbitration hearings are scheduled after our office receives a “Praecipe for Reference to a Board of Arbitration”. Local Rule 1303(a)(1) explains this process in detail.
    • The following forms can be accessed by clicking on each title:
    • If you need a continuance, you should consult the local rules, particularly L-200.5. Daily Motions Court. and L-1303 (b) through (d).

  2. www.lawlib.duq.edu: This is an excellent resource for conducting free legal research. Run by the Duquesne University Law Library, this site allows you to access the Unofficial Pennsylvania Statutes and Pennsylvania Code, along with many other options. Once you enter the above address, select ‘Legal Research Tools’ from the left-side menu, and then you will be able to access various sources.

  3. www.government.westlaw.com: This is the site for ‘Unofficial Purdon’s Pennsylvania Statues’, which are the laws that govern legal actions in Pennsylvania.

  4. www.pacode.com: You will find the Rules of Civil Procedure for Pennsylvania through this website. Once you are on Home Page, select “Browse”, which will take you to the titles. Then select title 231 for the Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedures.

  5. Washington County Courthouse Law Library: Located in the basement of the Courthouse, the Law Library contains all the books you will need to research your issues and find the laws, rules and sample documents to help you prepare your case. When you visit the Law Library, please sign in and tell the librarian the type of case (divorce, custody, etc.) that you would like to research. The Law Library opens at 9:00 am and closes at 4:30 pm. The phone number is: 724.228.6747.

  6. The Civil Division of the Court Administrator’s Office: Located in the basement of the Courthouse in Suite G006, our office can provide the form for a Complaint in Custody to initiate an action in custody, and we also provide other important documents you will need AFTER your custody complaint has been filed. Staff cannot give you legal advice or help you fill in forms but will guide you to the resources that can provide that information. The office opens at 9:00 am and closes at 4:30 pm. The phone number is: 724.229.5929.

  7. The Prothonotary’s Office of Washington County Courts: All civil documents, such as divorce and custody pleadings, must be filed with the Prothonotary. The Prothonotary sets the filing fees and maintains a permanent file with the original documents. The Prothonotary can provide copies of pleadings in your case, and you will pay to file pleadings in the Prothonotary’s Office. NOTE: NO PERSONAL CHECKS ARE ACCEPTED IN THIS OFFICE. The Prothonotary’s Office opens at 9:00 am and closes at 4:30 pm. The phone number is: 724.228.6770. If you have questions about how much money it costs to file a certain kind of document, you should call the Prothonotary.

  8. Citizen’s Library: Citizen’s Library has seven computers available to the public. You can use these computers to create and print the legal documents available through websites like www.palawhelp.org. Some important information about Citizen’s Library:

    • Anyone who lives in Washington County is eligible for a free library card. You should bring proof of residence to the library and ask for a card application. You may also ask to use a guest pass to use a computer.
    • The library hours are:
      • Monday through Thursday: 9:30 am to 9:00 pm.
      • Friday and Saturday: 9:30 am to 5:30 pm
      • Sunday: 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm.
    • You can print the documents you create at the library. As of January, 2008, each printed page cost 20 cents.
    • The phone number for the library is 724.222.2400.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Arbitration cases are not assigned to a judge but are handled by the Civil Motions Judge. Please refer to our court calendar (link available on the home page) to determine the Motions Judge serving when you plan to present your pleadings.