Legal Aid and Pro Bono Lawyers and How to Find Them

You have a legal problem, but you can't afford to hire a lawyer. It's a common problem. The high cost of legal services means that many needy clients must handle legal issues on their own, or try to find free or low-cost services. Unfortunately, there just aren't enough of those services to go around.

If you're in the market for free legal help, your best bet is likely to be legal aid or a pro bono lawyer. What's the difference between the two? And how do you find this kind of help if you're in need?

In a nutshell, a legal aid or legal services office is a group of lawyers who represent people who can't afford to pay a lawyer. A pro bono lawyer takes a case for free—usually because the client can't afford to pay—but otherwise works for fee-paying clients.

Most legal aid offices handle only civil, not criminal, cases. (Criminal defendants who can't afford a lawyer get free court-appointed counsel.) They generally don't take bankruptcies, divorce cases, or personal injury claims. But, when it comes to other areas of law, they represent both plaintiffs (people who sue someone else) and defendants (the people being sued). Legal aid lawyers are paid by grants and might receive some government funding.

Pro bono attorneys usually take cases in areas of law in which they regularly practice. A bankruptcy lawyer, for example, might take on simple bankruptcy cases pro bono. Pro bono work is something these lawyers do on the side, when they're not working for clients who pay them.

Legal Aid and Pro Bono: What's the Difference?

While both legal aid and pro bono lawyers work for needy clients, there are important differences between them. Here are the basics.

Legal Aid or Legal Services Offices

"Legal aid," sometimes also called "legal services," means lawyers working exclusively for people who qualify for their services—poor clients. These attorneys tend to be experts in landlord-tenant law and renters' rights, credit and collections, consumer law, foreclosures, welfare matters, and other areas of law that poor people often encounter. In keeping with the philosophy of legal aid, they're sometimes on the lookout for cases that can result in legal reform, not just a victory for a solitary client.

Pro Bono Lawyers

"Pro bono," a Latin term that means "for the public good," refers to lawyers who do work for free. No state requires pro bono work as a condition of maintaining a law license, but the American Bar Association urges all lawyers to devote at least 50 hours each year to volunteer representation of those who otherwise lack access to justice. Many states do likewise.

Is One Better Than the Other?

Will you get a better outcome with legal aid, or with a pro bono lawyer? Chances are you'll be well represented in either case. As a rule, the quality of service you get will depend on your lawyer's expertise and experience, and the resources of the law firm or organization backing that lawyer.

For example, within their legal specialty areas (discussed above), legal aid attorneys tend to be exceptionally competent and efficient. But funding shortages might mean that a legal aid office is short on support staff or money to pay for expensive litigation.

By contrast, when a civil firm that's well-stocked with experienced associates, paralegals, and support staff decides to throw its resources behind a time-intensive case, the results can be impressive.

How to Find a Legal Aid Office or Pro Bono Attorney

The fastest way to find legal aid or pro bono attorneys near you is to go online. Start your search by location. If you find matches, go to the websites and read about the kinds of cases the organization handles. You might find a pre-screening application, or simply an invitation to call the office and speak with an intake attorney. If several offices look to be a match, contact them all.

Here are more links that might help you find free or low-cost legal assistance.

• Visit I Need Legal Help, a page maintained by the Legal Services Corporation, where you can look for legal aid organizations by address or geographic location.
• Go to the American Bar Association's Free Legal Help page. It compiles several useful resources for people needing pro bono or legal aid assistance.
• If you're a veteran, service member, or military family member, the Military Pro Bono Project offers a list of resources and links to local legal assistance programs.
• For immigration questions, see the U.S. Department of Justice's List of Pro Bono Legal Service Providers, which lists a state's participating law firms and legal aid offices. Only about half of the states participate.

To qualify for legal aid, your household income has to meet an income eligibility threshold, typically below 125% (and sometimes 200%) of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. Contact your local legal aid office to find out more about eligibility and what documentation of income you'll need to demonstrate financial need.

Other Possible Pro Bono Resources

If you need legal help, here are more suggestions for finding lawyers in your area who might take your case for free.

• Check out your local or state bar association, a professional organization that's dedicated to advancing the careers and education of its members. Search for "[your state, county, or city] bar association." When you go to the organization's site, look for a page that talks about lawyers who are available for pro bono work. If you don't find what you're after online, call the bar association office and ask if they keep a list of pro bono lawyers.
• If you live near a law school, visit its website. Many have legal clinics where students, supervised by law professors or local attorneys, take cases for free.
• Call the local courthouse or go to its website. Court officials understand that cases move more quickly and smoothly when everyone has a lawyer. Many are willing to help link up willing lawyers with clients who need them.
• Contact your church or other place of worship. Some religious organizations offer legal assistance to their congregants.
• Go to the ABA's free legal answers site, which allows qualifying visitors in participating states to ask a question of a pro bono lawyer.