Family Law Research Group report on Self-Represented Litigants 
The Family Law Task Force, November 1, 2004, recommended adoption of the "Challenge to 
Justice--Report on Self-Represented Litigants in New Hampshire Courts" findings. This report is 
the official document on "pro se" litigation, compiled and written by the Supreme Court Task 
Force with Associate Justice James E. Duggan as its chair. 
Part First of the New Hampshire Bill of Rights, Article 14, adopted June 2, 1784, states:" Every 
very subject of this State is entitled to a certain remedy, by having recourse to the laws, for all 
injuries he may receive in his person, property, or character; to obtain right and justice freely, 
without being obliged to purchase it; completely, and without any denial; promptly and without 
delay; conformably to the laws." 
The "Challenge to Justice" report states that the increase in pro se litigants, which, while 
maintaining the Constitutional guarantee of these citizen rights, is causing increasing difficulty 
for the court system to accommodate. The resources required for the increase in numbers of 
those who chose not to use professional legal assistance places an additional burden on the court. 
The court is searching for the most efficient and viable constitutional means to aid these litigants. 
There are seven recommendations made by this report: 
First: An expansion of legal service appropriate to low-income prose litigants. In order to 
implement this recommendation, fund-raising campaigns are suggested, with the aid of the N.H. 
Bar Foundation. 
Second: Court rules need to be adjusted to allow lawyers to provide aid at a lesser cost. One 
method would be "limited representation", which, although not ideal, is preferable to no 
representation. 
Third: Case managers can be utilized to help in domestic relations cases. These case managers 
give litigants the beneficial personal touch. Increased funding would be needed here also. 
Fourth: Computers for public use are needed in every courthouse. A part of this program would 
be a "Self-Help Center, enabling the litigant to obtain necessary information re legal issues, 
forms, etc. 
Fifth: Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) should be coordinated by personnel on the state 
level. Studies have shown that ADR is an effective long-term alternative to the traditional court 
process. 
Sixth: The Supreme Court needs to develop protocols to deal with these proceedings. The 
difficulty of finding the middle road of providing non-prejudicial judicial advice is difficult but 
necessary. There are ethical issues, case processing issues, also, that need to be addressed. 
Seventh: Citizens often find the courts intimidating and overpowering. Simplifying processes 
could alleviate this. 
The Supreme Court Task Force on Self-Representation makes it clear that without a lawyer, the 
pro se litigant will not have the most effective access to justice. The seven recommendations 
would mitigate the problem; however, there is no substitute for an attorney.