Public commenter criticizes legal resource center setup, urges electronic access for self‑represented litigants

Mister Farish, a resident who visited the Bergen County Legal Resource Center with another commissioner, told the board the facility fell short of expectations because it primarily offers a paper library rather than electronic databases and workstations he believes would better serve people representing themselves. Farish said the paper library is harder for laypersons to use than electronic research tools and suggested a modest investment in workstations and database subscriptions would allow residents who do not qualify for legal aid but cannot afford private counsel to research case law. "My original proposal was very ambitious, included, budget for a full time lawyer and paralegals and everything else. But simply to put the electronic databases in place would be relatively very that range. Workstations today are $8,900, couple of printers, and some paper and some ink," Farish told the meeting and said he and a colleague would visit Morristown’s setup and report back at the next meeting. The transcript records no county commitment to specific funding or staffing changes during the meeting; Farish said he would report back after reviewing another county's facility. The comments were presented as a visitor critique and proposal rather than an administrative report.