Start with the Colorado Judicial Department's Self-Represented Litigant Coordinators page (coloradojudicial.gov). Every Judicial District has a Self-Help or Court Resource Center staffed by one or more Self-Represented Litigant Coordinators, informally called "Sherlocks," according to that page. Find your county in the county-by-county listing, note the coordinator's name, district, email and phone, and call with your case type and the form or step you cannot find. The same page states plainly that Sherlocks cannot and do not provide legal advice. If you want a structured way to reach the right official page first, the source finder selects a topic and task and returns verified official URLs.

What court self-help staff say they can and cannot do

The Sherlocks page describes the role narrowly: Sherlocks help people who do not have a lawyer and may give information about court forms, rules and steps for many types of non-criminal cases such as divorce, custody, evictions, protection orders and small claims. The same page says Sherlocks may help people with non-criminal matters navigate the court system, may direct people to appropriate forms, and cannot provide legal advocacy or legal advice. The page also notes Sherlocks may be able to give information about other local resources for housing, food, clothing, domestic violence and other non-profit organizations.

The Denver courts page carries the same boundary. It states that court staff CANNOT provide legal advice or representation of any kind, and that listed services are available only to litigants not represented by an attorney (coloradojudicial.gov/es/node/6079). The page describes the services as assistance with determining and understanding appropriate forms, understanding court procedures, rules and terminology, finding applicable statutes and rules, and referrals to community resources.

Read that distinction carefully. "Which form applies to a divorce with children" is the kind of question these pages describe staff as able to answer. "Should I ask for equal parenting time" is legal advice, which the pages say staff do not give.

How to find the right center in your county

The Sherlocks listing is organized by county and names the judicial district, the coordinator or center, an email address and often a phone number. Several districts serve groups of counties: the 17th Judicial District entry, for example, covers Adams and Broomfield counties with one shared email and phone listed for coordinators, and the 12th Judicial District listing covers Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande and Saguache counties under one coordinator contact.

Some entries lack a named person, and some name a person without a phone number. The retrieved text shows several counties — including Archuleta, La Plata, San Juan, Teller and others — listing an email and phone without a coordinator name, while one county entry lists a name and email with no phone. Plan for a follow-up if a first contact does not respond. Treat every name, number and address on that page as changeable and confirm on the official page before you rely on it.

What Denver's centers cover

The Denver page lists separate self-help rooms by case type, with hours. As stated there, the District Court domestic relations center handles divorce, child custody, grandparent visitation, changes to custody or child support, minor name changes, protection orders in custody or divorce matters and petitions or motions to seal; the Probate Court center lists decedent's estates, guardianships, conservatorships and extreme risk protection orders; the County Civil Court center lists small claims, money and property matters under $25,000, evictions, protection orders, name changes and judgment collection or garnishments; and the Juvenile Court center lists child support, establishing parentage, adoptions, relinquishment of parental rights and expunging juvenile records.

Denver-specific scheduling items on that page include a free virtual Family Law Ask-a-Lawyer clinic on the first Thursday of each month and a free virtual Civil Law Ask-a-Lawyer clinic on the third Tuesday of each month. The page also advertises a free Legal Resource Day and a free parenting class offered by a community organization, with the Denver District Court Self-Help Center listed as the contact. These details come from one page; check it before assuming a date, eligibility or registration step.

A hypothetical call

Imagine a person in Larimer County who wants to respond to an eviction case and cannot find the right form. On the Sherlocks listing, the 8th Judicial District entry lists a Court Resource Center email and phone serving Larimer and Jackson counties. A useful opening — hypothetical only — is: "I am not represented. My case number is [number]. I need the form to respond to an eviction in county court and the deadline is on my summons. Can you tell me which form applies and where to find the rules?" That asks for form and procedure information and points the question about deadlines back to the person's own court papers rather than asking staff to calculate a date for them.

A hypothetical form-search problem

Suppose a person needs a proof-of-service form. The Judicial Department site search results page shows a self-help form titled "Affidavit of Service" with Form ID JDF98 among 1,379 results for that term (coloradojudicial.gov search). That is a search-result listing, not a statement that JDF98 fits a particular case. A self-help coordinator is the better place to confirm which form a given case requires.

Practical limitations to plan around

Self-help staff are described as helping unrepresented people navigate procedure. They do not become your representative, and the Denver page limits services to litigants without an attorney. Court pages also caution that standard instructions are for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice about your case, as text appearing in the Judicial Department search results indicates. If you need advice about strategy, risk or whether to settle, that is a conversation for an attorney.

Before you call, gather your case number, the court and county, the title of the documents you have received, and the exact form or step you cannot find. Keep copies. Confirm hours and room numbers on the official page, since hours differ between Denver rooms and county listings generally do not state hours.

Where to go next in this library

To connect statutes and court rules to the form you are using, read Find Colorado statutes and court rules, which explains the officially published Colorado Revised Statutes and their uncertified downloads. If you decide to consult a lawyer, Verify a Colorado attorney explains the Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel search, and Prepare a question for a Colorado attorney helps organize facts and documents before a consultation. This publication is an independent legal-education and primary-source navigation resource; it is not a law firm or legal service, does not provide legal advice, and does not calculate deadlines or assess claims.