I Cannot Afford a Lawyer


          Many cases can be filled without the representation of a lawyer. For instance, more than 60% of divorce cases filed involve at least one side without a lawyer. But if you cannot afford a lawyer, you should not give up finding a way to get free or inexpensive legal services. It would be too hazardous and more costly to go to the court without a lawyer.

          First you can use federally funded programs. Nationwide, there is a national network of legal services offices receiving federal funds to provide free legal help in civil cases to low-income people. Services are generally provided by staff attorneys and sometimes paralegals with experience in certain areas, such as divorce, landlord-tenant problems, subsidized housing, public assistance, Social Security and unemployment.

          You should also get information about Pro Bono programs. Indeed most local and county bar associations have pro bono, meaning for the good in Latin, programs. These programs involve local attorneys who agreed to provide free legal representation to those who qualify, either because of income or circumstances or types of cases.
Some bar associations also set up free self-help clinics, where volunteer lawyers answer questions and help with forms. These often occur weekly or monthly.

          What is more common is the fact that most county courthouses have facilitators to help people process their legal claims. At a minimum, a courthouse facilitator can help you figure out where you should file your paperwork and walk you through the process of getting your paperwork to the right people within the court system.
For criminal cases, you can get a Public Defender. All states have networks of public defenders, which provide free or low-cost legal help People have to meet income eligibility requirements.

          Eventually, most people earn too much to qualify for legal services or pro bono programs, but do not make enough to hire an attorney at traditional rates. If you fall in this category there are telephone hotlines that charge by the minute and sliding-fee programs to get you the advice and representation you need at the lowest price possible.

          Regardless the type of help you can get, you should keep in mind that the lawyer you see may have a huge overload of cases or may be helping low-income clients in addition to his regular paying clients. Therefore you should be patient if he is not always available for you. At last, do not think that you will receive a bad handling of your case because you are broke. Chances are, he has a family member or friend in the same situation, or has even experienced financial woes himself that’s why he is offering low cost services.