If you need legal advice but can’t afford your own attorney, legal aid can be a lifesaver. This service can help you with family law, debts, evictions and so much more. Those are big, life-changing issues and you don’t have to face them alone.
In this post, we’re going to break down everything you need to know about legal aid: what it is, how it can help you, and most importantly, where you can get help near you.
After all, you never know when you might need legal assistance. An unexpected divorce, death, CPS call, lawsuit or even a landlord-tenant conflict can leave you in a lurch, stressed out and desperate and unsure where to turn. That’s why these resources exist; they’re here to help.
About Legal Aid
Before we dive into where to go, let’s talk about what you can expect from your local legal aid provider.
What is legal aid?
By definition, legal aid is free legal advice or representation for people who can’t afford it. It’s as simple as that!
Most people know that you’re entitled to free help from a public defender if you’ve been accused of a crime. However, this is not true if you’ve been sued for a debt, facing eviction from a landlord, filing a divorce or engaged in another civil law matter. Civil lawsuits don’t provide public defenders, so people are often faced with an impossible choice: you can either pay out-of-pocket for an attorney or face court entirely on your own! For many, that’s a lose-lose situation.
Fortunately, all 50 states have some sort of legal aid system that can provide free legal help to low income people who qualify. It’s basically free or low-cost legal assistance. You may have heard people refer to this as free legal representation, pro bono legal services, or free law advice. It’s all the same thing: affordable low-cost legal advice from a qualified professional. Many of these law professionals also provide services as part of community outreach.
What can legal aid help with?
The next question that many people ask is what can legal aid do. A lot of that comes down to your local attorneys and organization policies. Some chapters help with divorce, some don’t. Some help with immigration, others don’t.
However, as a general rule, legal aid attorneys can help with a wide variety of legal needs, including:
- Family Law (divorce, custody, guardianship, child support, domestic violence, etc.)
- Housing Law (evictions, foreclosures, landlord-tenant disputes, housing discrimination, etc.)
- Employment Law (discrimination, wage theft, workplace safety, labor relations, etc.)
- Consumer Law (debt, unfair debt collection practices, contract disputes, etc.)
- Public Benefits (Social Security benefits, EBT benefits, other assistance programs)
- Immigration (asylum, deportation, applications, etc.)
- Elder Law (elder abuse, estate planning, wills and advanced directives, etc.)
Don’t be discouraged just because the specific thing you need help with isn’t listed here. This is just to give you ideas. It’s not a comprehensive list. You can always reach out to your local legal aid organization for more information.
Who qualifies for legal aid?
Typically, legal aid organizations serve low income people in their communities. They generally serve anyone who earns 125% of the Federal Poverty Level or less, but that limit can vary depending on the organization’s policies. Some have higher limits – like 200% or more.
Some helpful legal services like Solo can help anyone regardless of their income level, too! They aren’t exactly legal aid but they can help fill in the gaps for people who don’t qualify for more personalized help.
How long does it take to get legal aid?
The downside to legal aid is that there’s often more people who need help than attorneys who are available to offer help. That can make it complicated and difficult to get help, which can become a big problem for sensitive or urgent issues.
Depending on the nature of your legal needs, it could take anywhere from a few days to several weeks to get help. If you’re facing a crisis (like eviction or a domestic violence issue), then you’ll usually get help faster.
Because different organizations have different wait times, it’s important to reach out to all the organizations who may be able to assist you to evaluate your options.
Online Legal Aid Tools
Because legal aid systems can move slowly or get overwhelmed, I think it’s important to know about some online alternatives that may be able to help you faster. These don’t work for every need, but they are a viable option for some cases.
Solo (formerly SoloSuit) can help you answer a debt lawsuit faster, easier and cheaper than an attorney can. I’ve used their guided tool several times to answer lawsuits and it’s easy and effective. You just need the Summons and Complaint you were served with to answer teh questions. At the end, they’ll generate an answer you can mail in – or you can pay a small cost to have them submit everything for you. Try Solo now!
American Bar Association can help you get free legal answers from licensed attorneys in your state. They can help you answer questions related to employment, family law, divorce, homelessness, housing, health, disability, civil rights, juvenile and education law and more. Ask your question now.
LawHelp Interactive is a free online service that can help you fill out certain legal documents. Their guided tool does not require a lawyer. You don’t even have to create an account unless you want to save your answers and come back later. Try LawHelp Interactive Now!
Injury Claims can help you connect with an attorney that can help you file for Social Security Disability, appeal a SSDI or VA disability denial, or even claim financial compensation from a number of tort cases. They offer free case evaluations and you usually don’t owe anything unless they win your case. See if you qualify!
Upsolve can help you file Chapter 7 bankruptcy for free. This nonprofit app guides you through the questions that you need to answer. They say that you could become debt-free in as little as four months! Visit the Upsolve website.
LegalZoom is an online service that provides guided tools that can help you create wills, powers of attorney and other legal documents for less than you’d pay at a local attorney. They can even help you navigate a divorce. Try LegalZoom now!
These resources aren’t always free and they can’t cover every need, but you may find that they are faster and easier than pursuing legal aid from your local organizations.
Where to Find Legal Aid Near You
Now for the big question: where you can find legal aid near you? The good news is that there are a ton of options available to you.
LawHelp maintains a list of legal aid and low-cost legal assistance providers. Since this website is a service of probono.net, a company that creates technology to help legal aid clinics, it is not clear if their list includes all the resources in your area or just the ones that use their technology. Check the LawHelp list.
Legal Services Corporation is the single largest fudning source for legal aid clinics nationwide. Although they do not offer any legal aid directly from their nationwide headquarters, they do provide funding to 132 separate legal aid programs across every US state and territory. Find an LSC service near you.
Eldercare Locator may be able to help you find legal aid organizations that serve seniors over the age of 60. You can contact them at 1-800-677-1116.
ACLU is an organization that helps defend civil rights across the country. They focus on issues like imigration, trans justice, reproductive choice and more. You can contact your state’s ACLU affiliate to see if they can help you (or if they know someone who can).
Get local help. There are hundreds of local legal aid organizations across the United States. To find a list of the providers in your area, please select your state from the list below.
Relief Recap
Free legal aid resources help low income individuals and families access the support they need to protect their families, housing, employment and other basic needs. There are organizations in every state and territory that can help you with these services. You can find the legal aid services nearest to you by using the tools referenced in this article.