If you need help with an urgent legal issue related to COVID-19, the Michigan State Bar is new. Read More » You can also ask your local bar association if they offer any of the following free services to people who need legal assistance: What is a legal service or legal aid office? Legal aid firms, also known as legal aid offices, employ lawyers hired to provide legal assistance to poor clients. Lawyers are usually experts in the types of problems that poor clients most often face. Check out our link to the directory of Legal Services Corporation legal aid programs in your state. Michigan Legal Help is for people who solve their legal problems without a lawyer. They can help you learn about your legal problems and prepare you for court. There are many DIY tools you can use to create court forms. This website does not provide legal advice and does not replace a lawyer. If you need more help, check out the site for a lawyer, community services or a self-help centre nearby. The website does not cover all areas of law, but we are constantly adding new topics. Please let us know what you think and let us know if we have helped and how we can improve this site.
To learn more, try our new legal assistance guide or watch our user guide video. 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? Who is entitled to independent counsel? The Constitution guarantees free legal aid to persons accused of a crime punishable by imprisonment and who cannot afford a lawyer. If you find yourself in this situation, ask for the appointment of a public defender at your first court appearance.
When a court decides that someone is “destitute” — with little wealth and no funds to pay for a lawyer — usually either a private attorney is appointed by the court and paid with district funds, or a public defense attorney program is appointed to represent the person. Some public defense programs are allowed to charge customers an “application fee,” though this is usually a small amount. Michigan`s Justice for All Task Force wants to know more about how people use the civil justice system, which includes courts, lawyers, legal aid programs and others. Read More » Who is still qualified for an independent lawyer? In non-criminal or “civil” cases, you are not entitled to a free lawyer. But there are many legal and pro bono aid programs that provide free legal aid to the poor in civil matters. These programs typically help people whose income is less than 125 percent of the federal poverty line, although in some cases they help people with slightly higher incomes. (See the table below for current income guidelines.) In addition, the elderly, the disabled, victims of domestic violence, military service or other special circumstances may be entitled to assistance, even if their income is slightly higher. Because these community-based programs often operate on very small budgets and do not have sufficient resources to serve all those eligible, they only handle certain types of cases and have to turn away many people who seek help. — Participation in focus groups — Access to the IICLE(R) online library — Writing legal articles Your rights if you have a legal problem with money or debt — Track your progress on legal issues — Sign up for legal updates — Save legal recommendation information in your profile LawHelp Interactive helps you fill out legal forms. Your rights in court and how to use Georgia`s criminal and civil court system LSNJ coordinates the statewide legal services system that provides low-income New Jerseyans with free legal advice for their civil law issues. Through its work, LSNJ strives to ensure substantive and procedural justice for people living in poverty.
NJ Legal Services website Can I hire a lawyer for only part of my legal case? If you decide you need legal help for part of your legal problem, consider hiring a lawyer who will only work on that part. Some lawyers “unbundle” their services and only offer help for part of your case. You can ask a lawyer referral organization to help you find a lawyer who offers unbundled services. 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. ILAO members who are lawyers, law students or navigators can: What should I do if I don`t get free legal aid? If you can`t find help from a legal or pro bono aid program, some alternatives include contacting a legal placement service (some may be able to refer you to a low-fee lawyer) or hiring a lawyer to do only some of the legal work and other parts yourself (this is called “unbundled” legal services).