Clerk's Office staff cannot give "legal advice" or "practice law" since they are prohibited under Title 28 U.S.C. § 955. Therefore, when asked, Clerk's Office staff cannot:

• explain the meaning of a specific rule;
• make an interpretation of case law (i.e., how a party is affected by events in a case or how a party should proceed);
• explain the result of taking or not taking an action in a situation;
• answer whether jurisdiction is proper in a case (e.g., Is this a federal question or diversity case?)
• answer whether the complaint properly presents a claim (e.g. did I say the right thing and is it enough information?);
• answer what the best procedures are to accomplish a particular objective (e.g., How do I subpoena a witness in a case?).

Clerk's Office staff can provide procedural information such as giving instructions on how to execute a task (i.e., number of copies, scheduling a hearing, use of forms, the number of days required to notice, etc.).