You may also call 1-866-LEGLAID (1-866-534-5243) to reach your local legal aid office.
On the Virginia Free Legal Answers website, you can submit questions and get answers emailed from a lawyer. You have the option to respond with follow-up questions. There are no fees, but you must meet income eligibility requirements, which are assessed with a short online questionnaire.
To qualify for free legal assistance, a person must comply with a 'means test' (a maximum monthly or no income) and have a legal problem with merit. You will be referred to an attorney by the Legal Practice Council who will assist you free of charge (pro bono).
These include:Your household income must be below the federal poverty guidelines.Your household assets must be below the guidelines.You must live in or have a case in our Service Area.You must be a U.S. Citizen or meet one of our non-citizen exceptions.Your must have a case within our Case Acceptance Guidelines.
Usually, pro bono attorneys do not get paid. But there is the possibility that a pro bono attorney may receive some amount of compensation — or at least not lose money for taking the case. Lawyers who take pro bono cases may also receive waivers of court costs and other filing fees.
Virginia has nine legal aid programs. We can help you locate your local office.
If you cannot afford a lawyer, legal aid may be able to help you. There are legal aid offices (also called legal services) throughout the United States. Legal aid offices are not-for-profit agencies that provide free legal help to people who cannot afford to hire a lawyer.
Your letter, whether on behalf of an individual or organization, should include general information, the type of legal assistance needed, the reason for seeking pro bono help, the temporal sensitivity of your case, and budget information to justify the free service.
Pro bono work is legal advice or representation provided free of charge by legal professionals in the public interest. This can be to individuals, charities or community groups who cannot afford to pay for legal help and cannot get legal aid or any other means of funding.
If your monthly income, excluding PIP or DLA is above £2657 you will not be eligible for legal aid. If your income is less than that, your expenditure will be assessed to see if you are eligible.
If you need to seek an injunction to protect you or your child from domestic abuse, violence or harassment you may qualify for legal aid as long as you meet the means test (the means test is not so strict for injunction cases). See our page about making sure you are safe at court.
Court procedures in the Circuit Court are complicated - even in no fault divorces - so most people hire attorneys to assist them. However, in certain situations, you may be able to file for a divorce successfully on your own - without an attorney representing you.
In order to apply for emergency custody, family members must fill out whatever paperwork is required by the local court. The hearings are expedited and may take place within a few days. Sometimes, family members will make false accusations in order to obtain temporary custody of a child.
Pro bono work is legal advice or representation provided free of charge by legal professionals in the public interest. This can be to individuals, charities or community groups who cannot afford to pay for legal help and cannot get legal aid or any other means of funding.
When a petition is filed to establish a guardianship, the court appoints a guardian ad Litem (GAL). The GAL represents the client's best interests (not the client him or herself) in the guardianship proceeding. The GAL also acts as a neutral investigator for the court.
If you need to seek an injunction to protect you or your child from domestic abuse, violence or harassment you may qualify for legal aid as long as you meet the means test (the means test is not so strict for injunction cases). See our page about making sure you are safe at court.
Best Pro Bono Lawyers Near Me. Finding Pro Bono Lawyers Near Me can be a game changer for your case.A top notch lawyer could make all the difference no matter what type of law it may be. That being said even if they are able to take your case or have hours available, they have the ultimate decision of whether or not they want to.
Legal Aid & Pro Bono Law. Do you have a pressing legal issue but are unable to afford an expensive attorney? Find help with Super Lawyers. Legal Aid/Pro Bono attorneys are staff members within a legal aid organization.
Civil Law. Resources for pro bono and legal services attorneys, advocates, law students and others may be found in the library, listservs, or section on HotDocs.
Visit EOIR's Pro Bono Portal to apply to be on the List of Pro Bono Legal Service Providers.. For a copy of the full List of Pro Bono Legal Service Providers, please click here.. The full List is divided into separate sections that correspond to the individual immigration courts around the country.
We get a LOT of questions from women looking for pro bono legal services, which is something that very few (if any) lawyers offer these days–at least, not in the way that you’re thinking.
This rule proposes to amend 8 CFR parts 1003, 1240, and 1241 by changing the name of the ``List of Free Legal Services Providers'' to the ``List of Pro Bono Legal Service Providers.'' The rule also would enhance the eligibility requirements for organizations, private attorneys, and referral...
The Project for the Empowerment of Survivors is a Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance initiative that offers survivors of violence the opportunity to connect with attorneys in their communities. Lawyers can contact the PES to volunteer at [email protected] or (804) 377-0335 x 2127.
This all-inclusive, state-wide case management and referral system enables private attorneys to accept and work on pro bono cases from their own computers. Create a confidential profile, view pro bono opportunities available in your practice area and location, and find the resources to assist with handling the legal matter.
Check out the bar’s webinar recordings for free pro bono training. And Virginia CLE offers free content for attorneys dedicated to filling the justice gap by providing pro bono representation to their fellow Virginians. Learn more and create an account.
The bar maintains a list of Military & Veteran Pro Bono Projects (pdf) with opportunities to serve Virginia’s many veterans.
Join the panel of the bar's referral service to start doing free half-hour consultations with potential clients. Not all consultations will be Rule 6.1 pro bono qualified, but this service is an incredibly important way Virginians get access to legal advice and representation.
The award-winning Northern Virginia Pro Bono Law Center provides opportunities for pro bono service in these areas of law: Consumer, Employment, Family & Juvenile, Housing, Life Planning, and Nonprofit Organizations. The program, supported by the Fairfax Law Foundation and the Fairfax Bar Association, provides civil legal services to poverty and indigent clients, as well as local nonprofits. Programs include: Neighborhood Outreach, Nonprofit Legal Support, Community Economic Development Project, Wills on Wheels, Family Legal Assistance Project, Uncontested Divorce representation, and work in consumer, employment and housing law. Volunteer opportunities are available in Fairfax. Clients must live in Fairfax County.
The Pro Bono Clearinghouse is a referral service, linking experienced volunteer attorneys with non-profit corporations in need of legal representation.
FOR THE PUBLIC: If you are a Fairfax County resident with a low income and have a contested family law matter, you must first consult Legal Services of Northern Virginia at 703-778-6800.
LSNV is a local legal aid program for individuals unable to afford private legal counsel. LSNV seeks to provide equal access to the civil justice system for residents of the City of Alexandria, the Counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William and the cities and towns adjacent to those counties.
The program, supported by the Fairfax Law Foundation and the Fairfax Bar Association, provides civil legal services to poverty and indigent clients, as well as local nonprofits.
First, it is important to understand that there is no such thing as a Pro Bono Lawyer. The term refers to a lawyer who will provide you legal services at no charge. Lawyers do not go to school or get licenses in an area of law call pro bono.
A Pro Bono Lawyer is often said in reference to a lawyer who provides legal services to a client at no charge. This is most commonly done for low-income people with cases involving basic survival and humanitarian need. Pro Bono Lawyers often prove free or low-cost legal services.
Another way that pro bono help is funded is through large law firms. These law firms encourage their lawyers to take on cases on a pro bono basis. This provides the large law firm with a way to provide social accountability by providing a community service. In addition, legal aid organizations often provide legal services at no charge ...
The court, or judge, selects the lawyer, hires the lawyer, and pays the lawyer. Although the lawyer may be appointed to your case, who do you think the lawyer is effectively working for? Contingency lawyers are sometimes confused with pro bono lawyers. People tend to think that a contingency lawyer works for free.
In addition, legal aid organizations often provide legal services at no charge to their client. In this case, the pro bono services are free to the client but not to society. The lawyer working on the case paid by the legal aid organization. The legal aid organization is often funded through state and federal tax dollars.
Lawyers that do provide pro bono services are either doing it as a way to give back to their community or they may work for a program/organization that is paying the attorney. It is important to note that the attorney has to make a living so if they are doing pro bono work full-time someone has to pay them.
For an attorney to take a case and not charge a fee there must be a compelling reason for the lawyer to take the case. If you can’t find free assistance you may be able to find a low-cost or limited-scope lawyer that specializes in the legal area you need. If the lawyer says they can’t provide pro bono services then ask if they will do one ...
The VBA Pro Bono Council, created in 2015, seeks to promote greater participation in pro bono publico work in Virginia and within the VBA. It also works to extol the virtues of that service.
This work continues the efforts of the Pro Bono Publico Task Force of the VBA Board of Governors. Then-VBA President John D. Epps created the task force in 2009 after Chief Justice Leroy R. Hassell Sr. asked statewide voluntary bar associations, and especially the VBA, “to assist with the planning of a bold and comprehensive statewide initiative for Virginia’s lawyers and law firms so that we can significantly increase the provision of legal services to the poor.”
Among them was an in-house counsel rule change that allows corporate counsel admitted in other states to provide pro bono services in Virginia, and the creation of JusticeServer, an online case management system that enables private attorneys to accept and work on pro bono cases from their own computers.
You may also call 1-866-LEGLAID ( 1-866-534-5243) to reach your local legal aid office. main office in Harrisonburg, offices in Winchester, Lexington, and Roanoke. main office in Richmond, offices in Petersburg, and Charlottesville. main office in Charlottesville, offices in Richmond, Petersburg, and Falls Church.
American Bar Association Home Front Directory is a list of free and low-cost legal service programs available to assist veterans, service members and their families.
Chesapeake Legal Alliance attorneys serve as the “Lawyers for the Bay.” The mission of CLA is to apply the power of the law to protect and restore clean water and promote healthy, resilient ecosystems for communities across the Chesapeake Bay watershed. We meet our mission by providing free resources and legal support to community members and organizations in Virginia
Just Neighbors has a special emphasis on humanitarian-based immigration cases and does not take: removal/deportation cases, asylum cases, family-based petitions.
To help those considering bankruptcy due to the COVID-19 pandemic:#N#Free Online Bankruptcy Evaluation Tool: A new, free statewide resource created by the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society with a grant from Legal Services Corporation is designed for those Virginians whose debts have piled up and become seemingly insurmountable, particularly low-wage workers and people living in poverty during the COVID-19 health crisis#N#.
Our books, free reports, e-courses, and seminars are all a GREAT place to start. We’ve spent a ton of time generating all this information and putting it in an easily accessible, easy to understand, format so that women like you can get the information you need. That’s not to say that it’ll be easy; divorce and custody cases rarely are, but we do want to provide that information to show our support and understanding for what you’re going through. We say all the time how we wish we could do more, but it’s just not feasible.
I’d definitely call Legal Aid first. Chances are, if you meet their income requirements, you can at least get a consultation with an attorney who can help point you in the right direction.
People call all the time, wanting pro bono divorce help. Though I certainly understand – wanting a divorce is not the same thing as being in a position financially to be able to afford to have a divorce attorney do it – it’s really not something that any law firms I know of actually offer. (At least, not because someone calls on the phone asking for it!)
There are attorneys who haven’t handled entire contested cases that have been practicing for several years; it takes awhile, in most cases, to build up to some of the more complex cases. If yours falls into that category, it’ll be tricky, for sure. That’s not to say impossible, though!
Unfortunately, no—not in divorce or custody cases. We do have a constitutional right to an attorney, but that’s only extended in criminal cases. According to our constitution, that’s only afforded to someone when their physical liberty is threatened. So, basically, if you’re facing jail time, you can get an attorney appointed to represent you. Divorce cases aren’t criminal though; they’re civil, and no attorneys are appointed in civil cases. The way the law looks at it, these types of cases are optional. You choose to fight for custody, you choose to get a divorce; the court won’t give you an attorney to fund your choices. I’m not saying it’s right; I’m just explaining the logic behind the rules. It’s actually pretty unfair, because I’ve seen tons of women who’ve really, really needed more help—especially, in my opinion, women trapped in abusive relationships.
The award-winning Northern Virginia Pro Bono Law Center provides opportunities for pro bono service in these areas of law: Consumer, Employment, Family & Juvenile, Housing, Life Planning, and Nonprofit Organizations. The program, supported by the Fairfax Law Foundation and the Fairfax Bar Association, provides civil legal services to poverty and indigent clients, as well as local nonprofits. Programs include: Neighborhood Outreach, Nonprofit Legal Support, Community Economic Development Project, Wills on Wheels, Family Legal Assistance Project, Uncontested Divorce representation, and work in consumer, employment and housing law. Volunteer opportunities are available in Fairfax. Clients must live in Fairfax County.
The Pro Bono Clearinghouse is a referral service, linking experienced volunteer attorneys with non-profit corporations in need of legal representation.
FOR THE PUBLIC: If you are a Fairfax County resident with a low income and have a contested family law matter, you must first consult Legal Services of Northern Virginia at 703-778-6800.
LSNV is a local legal aid program for individuals unable to afford private legal counsel. LSNV seeks to provide equal access to the civil justice system for residents of the City of Alexandria, the Counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William and the cities and towns adjacent to those counties.
The program, supported by the Fairfax Law Foundation and the Fairfax Bar Association, provides civil legal services to poverty and indigent clients, as well as local nonprofits.