Legal Aid Funding for Divorce
Legal Aid is a non-profit public interest law firm that provides free legal services to low-income Arkansans with civil law issues in 31 counties. * New self-help and DIY court forms to waive court fees and enforce the law against your landlord. For general legal information and resources, choose a topic below to get answers to your legal questions, find a legal aid office near you, court information, public forms and more. If you have a civil law problem but can`t afford to hire a private lawyer, you can still access the legal system through your local legal advice and legal aid organization, which provides free or low-cost legal services to low-income people. Information on many of these local services can be found online at the websites listed below. Income, family size and special financial needs are taken into account in determining whether a person is eligible for legal aid. Legal services are free for eligible low-income individuals, but clients are required to pay court fees where possible. Divorce has a reputation for being a chaotic, expensive and time-consuming dispute, and sometimes it`s inevitable. You often fight for the things that are most precious to you, like your children. However, not everyone has the income to finance such a fight. Through a variety of resources, free, low-cost legal aid is available in most states, but you usually need to qualify. This information has been created to give you general information about the law.
It is not legal advice on a particular issue. If you have any questions about the law, you should consult a lawyer. If you don`t know a lawyer, you can call the South Carolina Bar Lawyer Referral Service weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The number is 799-7100 in Richland or Lexington counties and 1-800-868-2284 in other parts of the state. Many legal aid offices may be able to resolve other issues such as immigration, consumers and people with disabilities. Some legal aid centres 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 type of cases they can accept. LawHelp Interactive helps you fill out legal forms. There are legal aid offices (also called legal counsel) in the United States. Legal aid organizations are non-profit organizations that provide free legal aid to people who cannot afford to hire a lawyer. While many legal aid centres only help people with very low incomes, some offices have more flexible income rules.
Free civil legal aid for:• Recovery and unfair loans• Disability cases• Divorce and custody• Domestic violence• Elder abuse• Housing discrimination and forced evictions• Immigration and citizenship• IRS tax issues, etc. You can also ask your local bar association if they offer any of the following free services to people in need of legal assistance: Your rights if you have a legal problem involving money or debt To find a legal aid office near you: Go to www. LawHelp.org and choose the state you live in to find out who in your state can help you solve your legal problem. I do not have legal immigration status. Can legal aid help me? Each legal aid agency has its own rules about who is eligible for its services. However, if you are a victim of violent crime or domestic violence, legal aid can certainly help protect you from domestic violence or abuse, even if you do not have legal immigration status. If you are a victim of domestic violence, legal aid can also apply for immigration on your behalf. Some legal aid organizations specialize in a wide range of immigration law issues.
Go to www. LawHelp.org information on the rules applicable to legal aid offices in your area. Are there cases where legal aid is not being addressed? Legal aid in civil matters does not deal with cases of pecuniary damage, such as medical malpractice, car accidents or traffic offences or criminal cases. (For the difference between civil and criminal cases, see The differences between the criminal court and the civil court). What can I expect from a lawyer? Legal aid lawyers have the same qualifications as other lawyers. Everything you tell your lawyer is confidential, which means it will not be shared with anyone outside the legal aid office. Since everything you tell your lawyer is confidential, tell them the truth. Your lawyer can help you better if you tell him the truth. I am not eligible for legal aid, who can I go to for help? Funding for legal aid services varies considerably from state to state. Lawyers and staff receive salaries, although they rarely receive the full price they could if they worked in the private sector. State and local bar associations typically fund salaries and other operating costs with government support and private donations and grants.
Free divorce services are almost always limited to clients earning 125% of the federal poverty line. This is adjusted according to the size of your household. For example, if you support two children in May 2011, you will need to earn less than $23,163 per year to qualify for free divorce assistance. If you have more kids, you can earn a little more, and the threshold in Hawaii and Alaska is also a little higher. Some states offer a sliding scale of reduced rates for those who earn more than that limit. Many are renouncing these income barriers for the military, the elderly. Persons with disabilities and victims of domestic violence. Individual states and counties set these rules, so if you think you might qualify, the best thing you can do is call and inquire about legal aid in your area.
This guide has been prepared for general information purposes only. The information contained herein does not constitute legal advice. Legal advice depends on the particular circumstances of each situation. In addition, the law may vary from state to state. Some information in this guide may not be correct for your condition. To find local resources, visit LawHelp.org and select your state. Visit the menu below and the rest of the VaLegalAid.org website for general information on civil law issues. Non-criminal legal services for individuals who cannot afford a private lawyer are provided by SC Legal Services. Some of the types of legal services that may be available include: evictions, bankruptcies, health issues, education, mortgage foreclosures, Social Security disability, employment issues, some limited divorce and custody issues, food stamps, and social issues. Legal Services programs do not deal with criminal matters; If you have questions about criminal law, see Public Defence Services. Thank you, Sarah Ridgley, artist and lawyer, for your generous donation of $50,000 to Legal Aid of Arkansas and the Center for Arkansas Legal Services.
Generosity like yours makes a huge difference in the lives of our customers and the number of people we can serve. Your donation will provide free civil legal assistance to an additional 125 low-income families in Arkansan. What impact this will have not only on our organizations, but on all of Arkansas. We are very grateful for your support. Thank you Sarah! You can find her work here sarahridgley.com Beverly Bird has been writing professionally since 1983. She is the author of several novels, including the bestsellers “Comes the Rain” and “With Every Breath”. Bird also has extensive experience as a paralegal, particularly in the areas of divorce and family law, insolvency and inheritance law. She addresses many legal topics in her articles.