Legal Aid Offices Provide Free Legal Aid: Detailed Guidelines

Legal Aid Offices Provide Free Legal Aid: Detailed Guidelines

Legal aid offices (also called legal services) are available throughout the United States. Legal aid offices are nonprofit agencies that provide free legal assistance to people who cannot afford a lawyer. While many legal aid offices only help people with very low incomes, some have more flexible income rules. Many legal aid offices also offer self-help resources to help you get started.

Domestic Violence

If your partner is abusing you, Legal Aid can help you get orders of protection, child custody orders, and divorces.

Family Law

If you have a child custody or divorce case, Legal Aid may be able to help. Call your local Legal Aid office or ask the judge in your case to assign a Legal Aid attorney to represent you in court.

Housing

If you've been evicted from your home or your house has been foreclosed on, Legal Aid may be able to help.

Public Benefits

If you're having problems with welfare, food stamps, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or Social Security, Legal Aid may be able to help.

Many Legal Aid offices may be able to handle other issues, including immigration, consumer, and disability issues. Some Legal Aid offices focus on one area of ​​law, such as disability law or housing law. Some Legal Aid offices receive funding from the government, which may limit the types of cases they can take.

Each Legal Aid office has its own rules for who is eligible for its services. However, if you are a victim of violent crime or domestic violence, Legal Aid can help you in any situation, even if you do not have legal immigration status, to protect you from domestic violence or abuse. If you are a victim of domestic violence, Legal Aid can also file an immigration application on your behalf. Some Legal Aid offices specialize in a variety of immigration law issues.

Visit www.LawHelp.org to learn the rules of the Legal Aid office in your area. Visit LawHelp's Immigration Legal Aid portal for legal aid resources for all immigrants, regardless of your status.

Civil Legal Aid does not handle money damages cases such as medical malpractice, car accident cases, traffic violations, or criminal cases. (For the difference between civil and criminal cases, see The Difference Between Criminal and Civil Courts).

Legal Aid attorneys are just as qualified as other attorneys. Everything you say to your lawyer is confidential, which means it will not be shared with anyone outside the Legal Aid Office. Because everything you say to your lawyer is confidential, tell the truth. Your lawyer can help you best when you tell the truth.

Volunteer Attorney Program

Pro Bono Program (another name for Volunteer Attorney Program)

Free Legal Workshops

Self-Help Clinic

Where else can I go for help?

The American Bar Association's Free Legal Answers Program is an online pro bono program that pairs low-income clients with volunteer attorneys who agree to provide brief answers online for free.

Some state court systems offer self-help centers for people who don't have an attorney to represent themselves in court. Self-help centers offer free services such as workshops, informational materials, court forms, and help filling out forms. Visit your state court's website or contact your local legal aid program to find out if self-help services are available in your area.

Your local law school may have a free legal clinic where law students can provide free legal help and be supervised by law professors.

Your local Agency on Aging helps seniors 60 or older with a variety of problems. Your local Agency on Aging may also offer free or low-cost legal help. To find your local Agency on Aging, visit the AOA website.

StatesideLegal.org provides recommendations and helpful legal tools created specifically for veterans, service members, and their families.