Comments on: HUHO — Finding Low-Cost Legal Services

By: Feministe » Help Us Help Ourselves: March 2007 Edition

Feministe » Help Us Help Ourselves: March 2007 Edition — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 18:58:03 +0000

[...] n the outside. Serve with rice, couscous, or wrapped in a tortilla. Managing Bureaucracy Zuzu gives great tips on low-cost legal services. J.D., [...]

By: Feministe » Help Us Help Ourselves: March 2007 Edition

Feministe » Help Us Help Ourselves: March 2007 Edition — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 18:58:03 +0000

[...] n the outside. Serve with rice, couscous, or wrapped in a tortilla. Managing Bureaucracy Zuzu gives great tips on low-cost legal services. J.D., [...]

By: tzs

tzs — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 04:18:57 +0000

I also highly recommend the Nolo series–also the Nutshell series is good if you just want to learn about the law. Go to your local library and look in the law section–quite often there will be a lot of self-help books that will help you get started. Even if you end up deciding you need a lawyer in the end, you will have a much better idea of what can and can’t be done.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 01:45:26 +0000

OUTSTANDING.

By: mythago

mythago — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 02:52:20 +0000

Go to Nolo for your legal DIY stuff; their materials are not only excellent, but will tell you when you need to put the book down and get a real lawyer.

In California, county bar associations have referral programs, where for less than $50 you can get a 1/2-hour consulation with a lawyer who specializes in your area.

By: zuzu

zuzu — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 01:42:32 +0000

Very true, gaia. If you’re being asked to pay more than, say, a hundred bucks for DIY legal kits, don’t do it.

By: gaia

gaia — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 00:58:51 +0000

Beware of the do it yourself forms. I heard recently that someone I know paid $2,000 for one of those do it yourself will kits. The attorney I work for charges $500-750/couple for wills, durable powers of attorney, medical powers of attorney and directives to physicians. $750 is rare and is only for those couples whose wills include tons of trusts and contingencies. Ones where we really have to work.

By: Brooklynite

Brooklynite — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 19:38:11 +0000

I don’t know how many other cities have similar programs, but the New York City Bar Association runs a very cool program called the Monday Night Law Clinic.

It works like this: You call the clinic hotline (the phone number’s at the link above), and describe the legal issue you’re dealing with. If it falls within their parameters, they’ll give you an appointment for a free half-hour meeting with a volunteer attorney, who’ll answer your questions and, if you need it, try to set you up with someone who can give you further assistance. The clinic handles a wide variety of problems — including, as they say on the website, “family law, immigration, bankruptcy, employment and landlord-tenant issues.”

My wife is involved with the clinic, and it’s an excellent resource. (They’re always looking for more volunteer lawyers, by the way.)

By: liz

liz — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 18:58:25 +0000

lawhelp is a great resource for legal services (as well as legal rights info)

By: johanna

johanna — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 18:50:02 +0000

This may go without saying here, but you can also get help filing restraining orders (also known as orders for protection and/or harassment orders, based on your state) from your local doemstic violence center or sexual assault center. Often, an advocate will help you fill out the forms, notorize it, and file it for you at no cost. If you must go to a hearing, an advocate will often accompany you. Also, some legal aid organizations have VAWA grants to represent DV survivors at hearings and also to represent them in divorce proceedings.