You'll find plenty of free legal advice in Avvo's guides with information on over 1,000 legal topics and over 7 million questions and answers. Just remember that laws can vary significantly from state to state. When researching online, don't rely on information about another state's laws, as it may not be relevant to your situation.
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How to Find an Excellent Lawyer
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.
Throughout the United States, typical attorney fees usually range from about $100 an hour to $400 an hour. These hourly rates will increase with experience and practice area specialization.
If your case isn't winnable, no lawyer will want to waste your time, or the court's time, pursuing legal action. However, if you have a case where the facts and evidence are in question, but the damages you could recover are high, an attorney with extensive experience in cases like yours might take the case.
Attorney vs Lawyer: Comparing Definitions Lawyers are people who have gone to law school and often may have taken and passed the bar exam. Attorney has French origins, and stems from a word meaning to act on the behalf of others. The term attorney is an abbreviated form of the formal title 'attorney at law'.
In criminal cases, those who cannot afford a lawyer will be appointed a free legal representative by the court. These representatives are usually selected from the local public defender’s office. The main purpose of appointing a public defender is to ensure that people who cannot pay for legal assistance in a criminal case will still receive fair ...
The reason for this is due to special ethical and professional rules that lawyers and those providing legal advice have to follow. In fact, most of them cannot provide actual legal advice. They can only offer free legal information (e.g., where to find a particular court form, etc.). Thus, if an individual needs actual legal advice ...
A legal clinic is a service that allows current law students to gain experience by working on real-life cases under the supervision of a faculty advisor (e.g., usually a law school professor who is also a lawyer).
Prior to joining LegalMatch, Jaclyn was a paralegal and freelance writer.
So long as a person qualifies for free legal representation, the government cannot refuse to pay for their lawyer because it would violate ...
While each lawyer may have different conditions for this fee arrangement, a person should be sure to discuss all of the terms of the agreement before they hire them. Lastly, though a person may be responsible for minor costs like filing fees or expert witness fees, the outcome may be worth the smaller expenses.
On the other hand, if a lawyer has agreed to take a case on a contingency fee basis and they do not prevail, they will be paid nothing for their services.
There are several HIV/AIDS legal services programs that provide free legal aid to low-income clients who are infected with HIV or AIDS on matters including estate planning, employment or housing discrimination, insurance difficulties, family law questions, and other legal issues.
Mentally and physically disabled U.S. Veterans may be eligible for free legal aid on issues ranging from rent assistance to child visitation matters. For eligibility requirements, check your local veterans association to see if you or a member of your household qualifies for free legal help with a number of services.
If your income is currently below the national average for the number of people in your household, you may qualify for free legal help. Most legal aid clinics and pro bono attorneys (private attorneys offering free legal help) serve those whose household income is less than 125 percent of the federally recognized poverty level. The exceptions are Alaska and Hawaii, which have higher income eligibility thresholds.
Before looking for an attorney, decide what kind you need. Common fields include:
These programs offer a variety of ways to get legal aid. Some limit their services to people with low incomes.
Stateside Legal - Find free legal help for military members, veterans, and their families.
Ask a real person any government-related question for free. They'll get you the answer or let you know where to find it.
Applicants for Social Security disability (or SSI disability) are very unlikely to find an attorney to represent them for free, even at legal aid offices. This is because attorneys who help disability claimants work on a contingency basis, meaning that they only get paid for their work if they win your case. In addition, fees paid ...
Disability attorneys do not require their fees to be paid up front. Instead, they collect a maximum of 25% of your retroactive benefits ( backpay) or $6,000, whichever is less. Social Security pays your attorney directly out of your backpay award.
However, even legal aid attorneys and nonattorney advocates who are registered with Social Security are permitted to collect fees from disability backpay to compensate them for the time they spend working on your case.
This meant that SSI claimants would have an easier time finding lawyers to take their case. Today, many legal aid offices will represent clients only in Social Security overpayment situations, since it can be difficult to find a lawyer for help in these cases.
When you call 1-800-ATTORNEY (1-800-288-6763) , you’ll be connected with an attorney in your area who’s familiar with the laws in your state, who’s willing to listen to your concerns, and who can explain the options available to you moving forward. Calls are answered 24 hours a day! 24/7 FREE LEGAL ADVICE: 1-800-ATTORNEY.
When you call 1-800-ATTORNEY (1-800-288-6763), you’ll be connected with an attorney in your area who’s familiar with ...
There are many free legal advice services available online as well, but we strongly advise you to take all online advice with a grain of salt. The law varies from state to state, and those giving legal advice will often have differing opinions, and may not even be licensed to practice law.