Legal support services can help you resolve many different issues. Whether it’s starting a new business, filing paperwork, or resolving a dispute, these services can save you time and money.
You can find legal aid organizations in the phone book or on the Internet. They usually receive government funding and can only take on a limited number of cases.
Free Legal Advice
There are a number of sources for free legal help that may be available in your area. These include nonprofit legal aid organizations, “pro bono” volunteers (attorneys and law students), court-based services such as self-help centers, and online resources. Many of these sources are not able to provide actual legal representation, but they can offer assistance with such tasks as completing forms, researching your case, and preparing for your court appearance.
Many law schools have a clinic program that allows students to work on pro bono cases under the supervision of a clinical professor. These clinics often focus on particular areas such as family law, elder law, landlord-tenant issues, or health care law. Some of these clinics are specifically designed to assist low income individuals.
Another source of free legal advice is the Avvo website, which allows individuals to ask questions to licensed attorneys. Individuals can submit up to ten questions at a time, and the answers are generally provided within hours. This is a good way to get general legal information, but it does not establish an attorney-client relationship and cannot replace the need for a full consultation with a lawyer.
Some states have laws that require certain organizations to provide free legal services to specific groups of people, including the elderly, disabled, and low income residents. This type of legal aid may be able to help you with such tasks as resolving disputes with government agencies, preventing home foreclosure, or obtaining housing assistance.
Some of these non-profit firms specialize in a specific area of the law. For example, the New York Free Legal Answers website offers free legal advice on civil questions related to family, employment, consumer rights, immigration, and bankruptcy. In addition to these services, the site also provides helpful articles and videos on a variety of topics, such as how to file for divorce and child custody. Other sites offer more general legal information, such as FindLaw’s directory of attorneys who offer free consultations and a state-by-state legal encyclopedia that explains basic laws in simple terms. Legal aid programs may also have a legal services locator tool that can help you find an attorney in your area.
Legal Aid
Legal aid helps people with low incomes by providing free or low-cost legal help. The programs vary by state and focus on specific types of cases. Some are for individuals with the greatest need and others target particular legal areas, such as helping those who face eviction or who have a dispute with their homeowner’s association. There are also specialized legal aid programs for people with unique needs like survivors of sexual assault or who need assistance with their civil rights.
For example, New York City’s Legal Aid Society operates a toll-free Access to Benefits Helpline (A2B) that connects callers with staff in five local community law centers to help them apply for government benefits, including unemployment insurance, public health insurance, food stamps and educational assistance. The Society is looking for volunteers to help answer the A2B hotline and screen calls, identify issues and questions and provide information and/or referrals. Volunteers will be supervised by staff. Attorneys and law students interested in volunteering can get CLE credit for their time.
There are also volunteer lawyers who are available to assist individuals at the courts. These attorneys are part of the Volunteer Lawyers Program (VLP) which runs out of Civil and Housing Court Help Centers in every New York City borough. The VLP recruits attorneys and non-lawyers to help litigants who cannot afford private attorneys. Volunteers can be trained to assist litigants with a variety of legal matters, such as consumer debt, family law and small claims court procedures.
Despite their efforts, legal aid programs are stretched thin and must prioritize serving the most disadvantaged clients on a limited number of matters affecting their most pressing life challenges. Thousands of indigent criminal defendants, families in crisis and children in Family Court are represented each year by the Legal Aid Society’s 1,000 lawyers and 700 social workers, paralegals, investigators and support staff. The Society also conducts major class action lawsuits.
The Legal Services Corporation funds the majority of civil legal aid organizations across the country, but there are many independently-run nonprofit legal aid programs that don’t receive LSC funding. Many of these specialized legal aid organizations/programs are designed to serve specific communities, such as the elderly or those with disabilities.
Self-Help
Legal issues are complex and require professional advice in order to be dealt with effectively. If you are unable to afford the services of an attorney, you can still get help from free or low-cost online legal support providers. This type of support is available for both individuals and businesses. It includes services like drafting legal documents, filing lawsuits, registering trademarks, and setting up copyrights. In addition, legal support services can also assist you with legal issues that may arise during the course of business operations, such as managing employee harassment or handling claims of infringement on intellectual property rights.
Many legal aid organizations have attorneys and law students who offer pro bono assistance. These legal clinics provide low-income clients with a wide range of services, including research and writing, client interviews and consultations, case preparation, and court representation. In addition, they can provide advice and assistance in a variety of different areas, such as housing and consumer law.
Moreover, some state courts have self-help centers that provide legal and procedural information to litigants who do not have attorneys. These centers typically offer workshops, self-help informational materials, and downloadable court forms. If you are unsure where to find such a facility, you can check with your local bar association or county clerk’s office for more information.
A number of online sites also offer one-time legal counsel for a small fee. Such services include Ask A Lawyer, Avvo, and LegalZoom. These websites allow you to post questions and receive answers from pre-screened lawyers in your area. If you are a small business owner, you should look for a law firm that has experience with similar cases as yours.
Military OneSource offers no-cost legal assistance to service members and their families. These services include a free call center, legal aid attorneys, community-based programs, online informational and educational resources, and self-help options such as document assembly and a website for completing court forms. The site also provides access to a database of local nonprofit legal assistance programs and information on veterans benefits. It also contains information on legal resources for service members and their families, such as housing and landlord disputes and financial aid.
Online Legal Services
Many online legal services provide a variety of assistance for individuals and businesses. Some specialize in specific areas like business legal advice, trademark registration, or writing a will. Others offer more general legal aid and customer support. These companies often provide templates of legal forms for a variety of situations from a tenancy agreement to an LLC (limited liability company) application. They also provide a directory of attorneys who will review legal documents or cases for a nominal fee.
The best online legal services will provide the most comprehensive coverage for their customers and are transparent about their fees, processes, and communication with their clients. They will also provide a wide range of security measures including data encryption and secure websites. They should have positive reviews and a good track record of service delivery.
There are many different types of online legal services and prices vary depending on the service provider, type of case, and the level of assistance needed. Some provide a per document fee while others require a monthly subscription. Some online legal services offer a free trial subscription so you can test their product before making a decision to use it.
When evaluating online legal services, make sure to consider their experience, qualifications, positive customer reviews, transparency, communication, and security. They should also be able to cater their service offerings to the needs of individual clients.
Legal services that are provided over the internet are growing in popularity as they allow people to act as their own lawyers, saving money on legal costs. These sites typically use questionnaires with dropdown options and checkboxes to guide individuals through the steps of filling out a form or filing an application.
Some of the most popular online legal services include Avvo, LegalZoom, LawDepot, and RocketLawyer. Avvo is a website that connects you to a lawyer based on your location, area of expertise, and other criteria. They also have a Q&A board where users can ask questions and receive answers from attorneys. Avvo has a simple user interface and allows you to search for attorneys by name or specialty.