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If you face criminal charges and cannot afford to hire your own lawyer, you have a constitutional right to an attorney at the government's expense.
In other types of cases, if you can't afford an attorney, you may qualify for legal aid. Legal aid lawyers are usually federally or state funded and represent people with low incomes in a variety of legal situations, including eviction defense, denial of unemployment compensation or other benefits, and consumer credit problems. Some local bar associations organize members who volunteer to represent clients in family law, landlord-tenant, and other cases.
If your claim involves an issue of social justice and has wide implications beyond your individual situation, an attorney or public interest legal organization with an interest in that issue may represent you on a "pro bono" (no fee or reduced fee) basis.
