Here's how to find legal help if you can't afford a lawyer: Contact the city courthouse. Seek free lawyer consultations. Look to legal aid societies.
Many family law attorneys no longer “counsel” their clients, they just administer laws the way that makes their life easiest. Our family law experts follow a different philosophy—that aligning the right attorney with a passion for family law and the right client makes all the difference.
Contact your county or state bar association. Go to small claims court. Depending on your situation, you can employ a variety of strategies to get free legal advice or cheap legal assistance. Read on for more information on each option. 15 Money-Saving Tips for Big Families. ]
Some attorneys will offer free consultations – usually by phone or videoconference. You aren't likely to come away feeling like you're ready to try your first case, but even if it's just a 15-minute call, you may at least get enough information to have a better sense of what legal morass you're in for.
When a court decides someone is "indigent" - with few assets and no funds to pay an attorney - generally either a private lawyer will be appointed by the court and paid with county funds, or a public defender program will be appointed to represent the person.
You could for example get legal aid if: you or your family are at risk of abuse or serious harm, for example domestic violence or forced marriage. you're at risk of homelessness or losing your home. you've been accused of a crime, face prison or detention.
To get legal aid you must be on a low income and have little in the way of savings, or other assets such as property or valuable items. If you have a new partner (not the one you are separating from or are separated from and need advice about) their income counts too when working out if you can get legal aid.
For some cases you can get legal aid regardless of your financial means. Non means tested legal aid is available if your child is subject of care or supervision proceedings . You may qualify for legal aid for some injunctions, such as a non-molestation order, but you might be required to make a contribution.
There are two ways for Social Security attorneys to get paid: fee agreements and fee petitions. Fee petitions are used for overpayment cases.
When attorneys take Social Security overpayment cases, they will almost always ask you to pay a retainer fee upfront before they will start work. A...
An attorney can help you by filing an overpayment waiver request, appealing the denial of a waiver request, or negotiating a repayment plan.But eve...
If an attorney represented you at an earlier stage in your disability case, you should consider contacting that person to see if he or she can help...
FREE detailed reports on 9709 Social Security & Disability Attorneys. Find 25160 reviews, disciplinary sanctions, and peer endorsements.
Find a local Social Security attorney in your state. Our client reviews, law firm profiles, and live chat make it easy to find the best Social Security lawyer for you.
Social Security disability cases can be denied for several reasons. If the Social Security Administration (SSA) denies your claim, it may be because you did not earn enough work credits to qualify, do not qualify under an exception, or your medical condition is not considered disabling.
Use the largest online Social Security lawyers directory to quickly find detailed profiles of attorneys and law firms in your area.
Some disability attorneys may be willing to help you appeal a Social Security Overpayment or get an overpayment waiver or repayment plan.
Find a local Social Security Disability attorney in your state. Our client reviews, law firm profiles, and live chat make it easy to find the best Social Security Disability lawyer for you.
If an attorney represented you at an earlier stage in your disability case, you should consider contacting that person to see if he or she can help you with your overpayment. The attorney will already be familiar with you and your disability case, and might be more willing to help you than an attorney who did not have a relationship with you.
Legal Aid attorneys work for non-profit law firms whose goal is to provide free legal advice and representation to low-income individuals in civil cases. (A civil case is any kind of case that does not involve a crime. Disability cases are civil cases.) Legal Aid attorneys may be more likely to take overpayment cases than some disability lawyers, ...
If he spends less than 15 hours, he will return money from your retainer to you at the end of the case. Attorneys in Social Security overpayment cases are conscious that their clients are usually lower-income individuals due to their disability, and they know that it might be hard for the client to pay the attorney's bill. ...
That is, if you lose your case, you will owe your attorney $3,000 in fees (if Social Security approves the request), and you will still owe the overpayment. On the other hand, if Social Security says you owe a $160,000 overpayment, and your attorney will charge you a $3,000 retainer to begin working on it, then you might decide ...
Attorneys must hold their retainers in special bank accounts called client trust accounts. After the attorney has completed all of the work on your case, he will submit a petition to Social Security to review the fee agreement and approve his fee. Once Social Security approves the fee (or modifies it), the attorney can take money to pay ...
Getting Social Security to approve the fee is an additional step that some disability attorneys do not want to bother with, and so they just decide that they will not do overpayment cases.
If you are looking for an attorney to represent you in your Social Security overpayment case, you will find that many disability attorneys do not take overpayment cases. The reason has to do with Social Security's rules about how attorneys get paid.
One of the most contentious of all issues in the family law arena revolves around getting child custody help. When two parties, whether married or not, decide to split up, the most difficult decision they will ever have to make needs to be made: who gets custody of the children? While most states follow a standard known as “the best interests of the child,” not all do. And even those that do follow this standard differ on the elements involved by the judge and the county courthouse you find yourself in.
Many family law attorneys no longer “counsel” their clients, they just administer laws the way that makes their life easiest. The phrase, “attorney and counselor at law” seems to have missed its core meaning somewhere along the way. Many family law attorneys no longer “counsel” their clients, they just administer laws the way ...
Family law issues like divorce, child custody and adoption can be some of the most difficult to deal with due to the strong emotions involved. It’s not uncommon to feel uncertain and scared. Having the comforting hand of a competent provider attorney to guide you will reduce stress, protect your rights and minimize negative impact on any children ...
Your personal legal plan allows you to contact your attorney to get legal advice, letters and calls, document review and more for an unlimited number of personal legal matters related to family law.
Most of them do not need legal help each month. As such, the fees we collect allow us to pay the law firms monthly to provide services to the members that do need it and still make a profit. Also, retailers want to partner with us to expose their services to our membership. You save. You get protected.
Just as you wouldn’t go to a podiatrist or dermatologist to treat a heart condition, you shouldn’t go to an attorney who doesn’t specialize in the type of case you have. For a medical malpractice case, you need a trusted attorney who specializes in malpractice in the same area as your specific case. A medical malpractice attorney will have:
Choosing the right attorney for your medical malpractice case gives you the best chance of having a positive outcome. The law firm you select should have attorneys who specialize in cases like yours and have a successful track record of winning those lawsuits.
Family and custody lawyers usually see a lot of inter-jurisdictional cases and are aware as to how to handle such as situation effectively, and how to obtain custody should such a scenario arise.
Legal aid organizations do great work by providing legal support to those from low-income backgrounds. The organizations understand that the relationship between a child and a parent is a special one, and seek to reunite the child with their parent, even if the parent in question does not have money to pay for legal services. They are effective in doing so in most cases as they specialize in custody law. If you are looking for representation in your custody case, you can approach a legal aid cell in your vicinity and see if they have a lawyer who is willing to represent you.
Legal representation is even more important for those mothers who do not have an income – because a lack of income can be demonstrated as a point as to why you should not retain custody. Hence, hiring a lawyer can benefit you in the following ways.
You can always sue for visitation until you have a chance at gaining custody again. If you are on relatively decent terms with your partner, you could even try and set up a custody arrangement outside of the one imposed by the court, but get it attested by the court.
Stay in communication. If a social worker can’t get in contact with you, it looks bad. If you change your address or phone number, let the social worker know about it right away. Also, you should always show up to appointments with your social worker on time and return calls from your social worker as soon as possible.
The individuals from CPS who handle these investigations are usually social workers. A CPS social worker who concludes a child is at risk will typically bring the situation to the attention of the “juvenile dependency” court by filing a “petition.”.
“Family reunification services” are the means by which parents get back custody of their children. Basically, after removal, the social worker will come up with a “case plan” to remedy the family’s issues that resulted in CPS involvement. For instance, if the children were removed because of domestic violence in the home, the parents’ case plan might include: 1 domestic violence prevention courses 2 parenting classes, and 3 conjoint therapy for the parents to discuss their issues with a counselor.
“Family reunification services” are the means by which parents get back custody of their children. Basically , after removal, the social worker will come up with a “case plan” to remedy the family’s issues that resulted in CPS involvement. For instance, if the children were removed because of domestic violence in the home, the parents’ case plan might include:
Basically, after removal, the social worker will come up with a “case plan” to remedy the family’s issues that resulted in CPS involvement. For instance, if the children were removed because of domestic violence in the home, the parents’ case plan might include: domestic violence prevention courses. parenting classes, and.
In addition to working directly with the family, social workers have a duty to report the family’s progress and make recommendations to the juvenile court. The social worker does this by periodically filing progress reports with the court. Judges rely heavily on these reports when making decisions in the case.
Judges expect parents to participate, follow the rules, and make a genuine effort in services. So, defensive or defiant behavior isn’t going to serve parents well. Parents should try their best to come to services with a positive attitude and go along with the program.
In a criminal proceeding, if you can't afford legal assistance, a court will appoint an attorney for you. In a civil case, generally described as a dispute between two private parties, to get legal representation, you have to get creative. Here's how to find legal help if you can't afford a lawyer:
Legal aid societies are nonprofit organizations found in almost every corner of the country that provide free legal services to low-income people. While this is certainly worth exploring, the problem for many households is that the individual or couple makes too much money to qualify for help.
The Akron Bar Association, in Akron, Ohio, is an example of what's out there. You can call the second and fourth Fridays of each month from 9 to 11 a.m., as part of their Ask an Attorney Service, and they'll answer legal questions for free.
It's risky for lawyers to take cases on contingency, and they need to be confident a judge or jury will side with you, and that there's going to be something sizable awarded to you. While no legal expert will suggest you represent yourself, it is an option if you're in a financial bind.
For instance, you can't go to small claims court if you're trying to work out your financial affairs after a divorce. But if the stakes are fairly low where someone owes you money or is trying to collect money from you, and it isn't worth risking lawyer fees, you might consider small claims court.
Geoff Williams, Contributor. Geoff Williams has been a contributor to U.S. News and World Report since 2013, writing about ... Read more. Tags: personal finance, money, personal budgets, lawsuits.
An attorney might give you a discount. Also, many attorneys offer payment plans, so that you're paying monthly instead of one huge sum all at once. Of course, you could hit the jackpot and find a pro bono lawyer, or you might find someone willing to take your case on contingency.
In many states, a partner has a duty to warn all of their sexual partners about any STDs that they have contracted. To successfully sue for intentional exposure to a STD, a plaintiff must prove that the partner: Knew the sexual contact could transmit the STD.
A personal injury lawyer will help you determine whether you have enough evidence to file a lawsuit. The lawyer will also represent you in court and settlement negotiations if you decide to seek damages.
Yes. Regardless of your state, if your partner knew he or she was infected with an STD and failed to inform you, the person may be sued for negligence. To prevail in an STD negligence case, you would need to prove the following: Your partner knew he/she had an STD;
Yes. Regardless of the state where you reside, you can sue your partner for sexual battery. For this cause of action, you would argue that not disclosing the STD was tantamount to unconsented sex. However, whether you prevail depends on the facts and circumstances surrounding the sexual encounter.
Many states recognize wrongful infection or transmission of an STD as its own cause of action. Additionally, while there are no federal laws that require a person to disclose they have an STD, there are state laws regarding telling sexual partners if you have certain STDs, such as HIV/AIDS or herpes. For example, in California, it’s considered ...
Further, negligence does not require that the defendant had ill intent. In that regard, a defendant who used protection (ex: a condom) can still be found negligent and liable for damages to the plaintiff.
The penalty for failing to inform a sexual partner when you have an STD varies by state. New York, for instance, says an infected person has a duty to warn their sexual partners if they have an STD, because having one can be a deal-breaker.
Lawyers take their fees from any retroactive benefits you’re awarded from Social Security. The fee is limited to 25% of your past-due benefits , up to a maximum of $6,000. 1.
Because the lawyer will likely have to request medical, school, work, and psychological records that come with a cost, they might pass on that fee to you. This should be a couple of hundred dollars at most.
If you have a Social Security dispute that you can’t resolve on your own, finding a lawyer can be the next step. Since you may not have a lot of experience looking for lawyers—particularly lawyers specializing in Social Security—we put together a guide to help you find the right one for your case.
Just like lawyers can’t speed up the process, they also can’t guarantee that you’ll win. With the help of a good lawyer, you’ll up your chances of winning, but lawyers can’t ethically say that they will win your case for you. If they do, that’s probably a lawyer to avoid.
Just like lawyers can’t speed up the process, they also can’t guarantee that you’ll win.
If you do qualify, you can get monthly benefits checks only if you are unable to work for at least one year because of a disability. 2. If you paid into the system in the past, you can't work for at least a year, and still didn't receive your benefits checks, your disagreement with Social Security probably stems from whether your medical condition ...