Free Legal Assistance for Women

Are you a woman in need of legal assistance but without the money to pay for it? Don’t let the situation get worse due to a lack of funds. Instead, check out these resources that offer free legal assistance for women.

Types of Organizations that Provide Legal Aid

First, you should know that legal aid is the term that represents all legal services provided to those who can’t otherwise afford it. You can find legal aid from:

• Pro-bono attorneys: These are individual lawyers who donate their time to cases.
• Legal aid law firms: These are law firms that exist solely to provide legal aid and are funded by donations, grants, the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), etc.
• Legal clinics: These take civil cases for people who qualify for the free service. They are often funded by the LSC.

Next, let’s take a look at what the LSC is exactly and how it may be able to help you.

What is the LSC?

The Legal Services Corporation (LSC). It is a non-profit organization that was founded by Congress in 1974.

The LSC’s primary purpose is to promote equal access to justice by providing grants which fund 132 high-quality civil legal assistance programs for Americans who are low-income. It can help with legal issues involving housing, family violence, health, utilities, employment, seniors, veterans, immigration, and benefits.

More than 800 offices are funded by the LSC across the U.S. To qualify, your household must have an annual income at or below 125% of the federal poverty guidelines. Interestingly, 70% of LSC clients are women.

LSC stats from 2015:

• 60.6 million American are eligibile for LSC-funded legal assistance.
• 755,774 cases were closed.
• 128,839 clients were at least 60 years old.
• 527,482 clients were women.
• 116,074 involved domestic violence.
• 1,861,333 was the total number of people in all households that were served.
• 9,096 full-time staff members worked at 812 offices throughout the U.S. and its territories.
• Of those employees, 4,591 were attorneys and 1,559 were paralegals.

As you can see this organization has a huge impact in the U.S. and helps many to get the support they need. This is a great place to start your search for help. Click here to locate the office nearest to you.

Pro-bono Attorneys and Organizations

The American Bar website also has a helpful search engine for pro bono attorneys and organizations. You can search by your state and browse the legal aid providers in your area. Click here to try it.

Further, the State Bar Association has a website which can help you find pro bono legal services in your state. While the results from some of these directories may overlap, each will likely have contacts the others don’t. Being so, it may be helpful to search through a few. You can find the name, contact number, address, websites, counties served, and case types accepted.

Search for pro bono help in your state here.

The National Women’s Law Center

This organization offers legal aid to women in need. It specializes in the issue of sexual discrimination at work, school, or when getting healthcare. A free initial meeting is available as well as low-cost and free ongoing assistance, depending on the case, client, and lawyer.

Apply for legal assistance here.

Online Help

You can get free answers online from the American Bar Association (ABA) and its virtual legal advice clinic. If you qualify, you can post your civil legal question on the website for your state. You will then receive an email when your question has been answered. The answers come from volunteer attorneys who are authorized to provide pro bono assistance in their state.

Use this service by selecting your state here.

Don’t Wait, get the Legal Aid you Need!

Everyone deserves justice whether you have the money to pay expensive hourly fees for legal support or not. Thankfully, our country provides women and all people in need with the legal resources they need to protect their interests. If you need legal support, reach out to one of the above contacts to get your case settled and move on with your life.