What is civil legal aid?
Civil legal aid in Ohio refers to the free legal services provided by hundreds of attorneys and paralegals throughout the state. These professionals work through local and regional legal aid offices, volunteer pro bono programs, and reduced fee contracted services to help thousands of low-income people gain access to legal representation. Civil legal aid helps low-income people resolve urgent, non-criminal legal problems that make a difference in their everyday lives. For example, elderly people are protected from unlawful evictions, women and children are protected from violence in their homes, and veterans get help to receive the financial benefits they have earned and need.
“Civil Legal Aid” refers to legal and law related services designed to help low income individuals, families and communities solve civil (non-criminal) legal problems that they experience. For example, a woman may be the victim of severe domestic violence. Under the laws of our state, she has the right to seek legal protection from her abuser to keep him away from her. Legal aid provides the help she needs to get this protection. Another example might be a low income person who is entitled by law to income assistance due to a disability. If the disabled individual is denied assistance by a state agency worker, she has the right to appeal the worker’s decision. Legal aid provides the help she needs to appeal the decision and get the disability benefits to which she is entitled. A third example is a low income tenant who is being wrongfully evicted. Landlords are required to get a court order before they can remove a tenant from her apartment. Legal aid provides the help that the tenant
“Civil Legal Aid” refers to legal and law related services designed to help low income individuals, families and communities solve civil (non-criminal) legal problems that they experience. Civil Legal Aid helps low income people defend and assert important legal rights that often involve the most fundamental aspects of life – personal and family safety, economic security, health care and shelter. Who Provides Legal Aid Services in Washington State? Throughout Washington State non-profit organizations provide civil legal aid services to low income people. These programs are organized under the banner “Alliance for Equal Justice.” The Alliance includes statewide legal aid programs, specialty legal aid programs and volunteer legal aid programs. Because the funding available falls far short of that which is needed to provide services to everyone, these programs prioritize the types of cases that they can handle. The overall goal is to provide legal help to those most in need of legal help
