Legal aid is extremely important for people with low or middle income. If they have legal needs, legal aid can truly help in their struggles.

What Is Legal Aid?

Legal aid, here referring to civil legal aid, is free legal assistance to people who have civil legal problems but are unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system. Legal aid helps ensure equity for all the people in the justice system, no matter how much money you have.

Low-income people or families with basic necessities, such as health care, housing, government benefits, employment, and educational services, should seek legal aid.

The Importance Of Legal Aid

Justice is an essential part of the democratic system. If some citizens are unable to access the law, the courts and laws become useless for the public. The legal aid system provides free legal advice to disadvantaged groups, and this means equal legal opportunities to all groups of society. Meanwhile, it also brings an end to all discrimination based on social or economic status or other disabilities.

Plus, legal aid motivates young law students to provide affordable legal services for the weaker section.

Apart from free legal assistance, there are other personal benefits you can receive from legal help. 

Resolving a case with legal aid can assist you financially and grant you access to resources you otherwise couldn't gain. For example, if you want to obtain a restraining order against your spouse for domestic abuse, it can be less difficult with legal help, and homeless veterans can receive the help they need.

It also prevents larger legal and financial problems from arising, thus helping the economy as a whole. If you need legal aid, then apply for it to benefit both you and your community.

What Type Of Services Does Civil Legal Aid Provide?

Civil legal aid mainly provides free legal advocacy and legal information for people with low and middle income to solve their civil legal problems. Here are three types of services that civil legal aid can offer:

1. Provide direct services by legal aid lawyers and pro bono volunteers

It means obtaining a lawyer to be your legal representation in a court proceeding, or getting legal advice to help solve legal issues.

2. Help identify and address systemic issues

It refers to comprehensive data collection and identifying solutions to problems faced by a large number of people.

3. Improve self-help and community education

It helps people understand their rights and responsibilities, where to find legal aid when they need it, and how to get assistance with self-representation. This can be delivered in many ways, such as workshops, chat tools, telephone helplines, legal partnerships, and downloadable court forms.

What Issues Can Legal Aid Help Low-Income People Address?

Family Issues: Legal aid helps parents obtain custody of their children, assists victims of domestic violence with obtaining restraining orders, helps family members acquire guardianship for children without parents and other family law related matters.

Housing and Foreclosure Issues: Legal aid helps to resolve landlord-tenant disputes, helps homeowners prevent foreclosures or renegotiate their loans, assists renters with eviction notices, and helps people maintain federal housing subsidies.

Consumer Issues: Legal aid helps to protect vulnerable groups from being oppressed by unscrupulous lenders, helps people file for bankruptcy when necessary, and assists people with debt problems.

Employment Issues: Legal aid helps working Americans acquire promised compensation from private employers, and assists people with their government benefits such as veterans, disability, and unemployment compensation.

Military Family Issues: Go to StatesideLegal.org to find legal resources important to veterans. The free legal service enables military families and homeless veterans to access legal information and assistance.

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