As someone going through divorce and with many friends around the world going through divorce, I realize how lucky I am that locally I am eligible for free legal aid through the government and don't need to pay cash for my great lawyer. However, if your income isn't low enough to be eligible for legal aid, or if that isn't an option where you live, here's some other ways to get affordable legal help.
“How and where can I find affordable legal help?” is a question that might cross your mind. For any of dozens of reasons, you can find yourself in dire need of a lawyer, but don’t have the money to afford one. Unlike many other situations, when you need legal advice or representation, you can’t put it off because legal matters affect your present and your future life.
While you are guaranteed the right to a free attorney, this doesn’t apply to the civil courts in the USA. Civil cases usually entail disputes between people, which may also include complaints about services, for instance. You would have to depend on yourself to find affordable attorneys. Fortunately, there are few ways you can hire legal help at an affordable price.
Legal Aid Plans
A legal service plan operates with a network of lawyers where one will be chosen for you. Legal aid can be provided in both criminal and civil cases. These could include cases, such as domestic violence, discrimination, violations of human rights, and criminal accusations among others. You pay a monthly flat rate to be able to use these types of platforms. In other words, you prepay lawyer expenses via this monthly flat rate. According to the type of plan you enroll in, you can get legal advice on a variety of issues, have a lawyer review your legal documents and receive many other services related to legal matters.
Individual Lawyers
Not all lawyers ask for huge fees. There are plenty of lawyers that come at a very reasonable fee and provide top-notch work. You can go about this the old-fashioned way and simply do an online search on individual lawyers who specialize in your type of case. Read the reviews and compare their fees and other relevant factors of each lawyer.
The important thing is to find a qualified and, of course, a licensed lawyer. Moreover, lawyers need to be very aware that the highest number of their clients get to know them through their online presence, so they need proper lawyer websites to reflect their work and credentials. The website design must be clear and easy to navigate for people seeking a lawyer. The clients must view a format that represents professionalism, the standout from others in the same field, have optimized pages, and uses law firm SEO.
Online help
With nearly everything being done online, there’s no reason why getting legal help shouldn’t be one of those things. There are several online sites that give you the opportunity to chat with a lawyer and receive some free legal advice. On most of these platforms, you are most likely to first contact a lawyer’s assistance which will find the most suitable lawyer for your specific situation. The assistant will likely ask you some questions before connecting you with a lawyer. They may ask you about the state you live in since laws concerning various situations may differ from one state to another. After you connect with a lawyer, you can contact them via email, text, or other means that suit both of you.
Non-profit
Non-profit organizations can also be classified as legal aid societies. Within these societies, you will find pro bono lawyers—lawyers who work free of charge. A pro bono lawyer differs from lawyers working in legal aid plans, as they are paid by the organization funding them. A volunteer lawyer doesn’t get paid by you or any other source. There are particular programs specializing in this type of client/lawyer connection you seek. These include your local bar association.
Legal Clinics
A legal clinic, which is also called a law-school program usually does pro bono work in particular areas of law, provides help for law students by giving them hands-on legal experience, and offers free legal services to clients. Legal clinics are typically run by law professors while law students help by writing updates, meeting with clients, and preparing legal arguments for court.
Most of these types of solutions might give you a free consultation at the beginning. That will help you decide if you have a case worth going forward with. You need to understand at least the very basics of your specific legal situation so that you can make the right decision. It’s good to know that you can find legal help that won’t burn a hole in your wallet in your time of need.
For those of you who've needed legal help, what do you find is the best way to keep this affordable, or at least more affordable?