A Sad Story is Not a Legal Defense: Defining Legal Issues

Those who work in the legal system are often viewed negatively as unhelpful and unsympathetic to those in need of legal assistance. Applicants seeking help from legal personnel feel disdain for the legal process because their expectations are not satisfied. This study examines how the communication processes between people seeking legal assistance and legal personnel contribute to an asymmetrical relationship in which the legal process feels inaccessible to prospective clients. Specifically, this study looks at the how prospective clients’ narratives are redefined to be a legally relevant narrative using legal definitions and categories at Colorado Legal Services. I discuss three main processes at Colorado Legal Services that work to redefine applicant narratives to fit legal procedure and the reasons why applicants don’t understand this legal structure. I conclude by offering recommendations that would remedy the communication between Colorado Legal Services’ staff and applicants and that would increase applicants’ comprehensibility of legal procedure.