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Free Legal Services in Florida
An Overview of Florida's Low Cost & Free Legal Service Providers
Low Cost & Free Legal Services in Florida
In researching this article I set out to discover exactly two things about each of the legal service providers listed on the Florida Supreme Court’s website.
I wanted to find out their eligibility requirements; and what type of services were offered. For nearly all of the providers I found the information I sought and much more.
Most of the information about each of the legal service providers was copied directly from their sites verbatim. My comments are italicized.
Nearly all of the providers required clients to meet low income guidelines in order to receive most types of legal assistance. And most of the low income level were set at no more than 125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
A few providers allowed slightly higher incomes in order to qualify, some up to 200% of Federal Poverty Guidelines. And a few other providers either did not state any income guidelines or were not bound by income guidelines at all.
I am impressed by the variety of legal services available from these various providers. I was especially impressed to discover that Southern Legal Counsel, Inc. defended Rosemary Furman years ago.
Eligibility: You must be living in one of the five Bay Area Legal Services counties: Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, Manatee, or Sarasota or be referred to Bay Area by another legal services program.
You must have a civil legal issue of the type handled by Bay Area Legal Services. Bay Area cannot assist with criminal or traffic matters. Also, you must not have a conflict with a current or prior client represented by Bay Area.
This means your case will not be accepted if it would create a conflict of interest for Bay Area. For example: Bay Area will not provide legal assistance to both a husband and wife in a divorce action.
Your household income must be at or below 125 percent of the poverty level as established by the federal government. There are some exceptions to the income guidelines.
Different eligibility guidelines may apply for seniors, victims of domestic violence, and those that qualify for special programs. You will be screened for eligibility when you call.
Be prepared to provide information and proof of your monthly household income and information about your assets.
CLSMF serves eligible clients in twelve counties: Brevard, Citrus, Flagler, Hernando, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Putnam, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia.
To obtain free assistance, you must be eligible for services by meeting guidelines based primarily on income, assets, and household size, very similar to those of our state agencies. Your local office will be happy to speak with you to determine if you are eligible for free services.
Generally, you may be eligible for CLSMF's services if you live in one of the 12 counties we serve and your income does not exceed 125% of the Federal Poverty Income Guidelines. Elderly clients and Medicare beneficiaries are not subject to the income guidelines
CLSMF publishes Family Law self-help forms and instructions for those who wish to represent themselves with regard to the following legal issues:Divorce, Modification of Family Law Judgment, Child Support Enforcement, Custody, Name Change, and other Family Law issues.Pro Se packets are available from the CLSMF offices in Daytona Beach and Palatka, and in Volusia County Circuit courthouses. The packets range in price from $5 to $32, and include free workshops by attorneys.
Mission Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center (FIAC) is a not-for-profit legal assistance organization dedicated to protecting and promoting the basic human rights of immigrants of all nationalities.
History Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center (FIAC) was founded in 1996 because of pending restrictions and funding cuts to Legal Services Corporation (LSC) funded agencies, which prevented many organizations in the state of Florida from serving the immigrant population. Sweeping changes in immigration law and welfare reform also increased the demand for services from FIAC.
Since its inception, FIAC has met many challenges faced by immigrants, not only by representing individual clients with difficult cases, but also by influencing policy decisions, encouraging favorable clarifications of rulings, participating in effective and ongoing dialogue with senior immigration officials in Washington, and litigating or otherwise challenging patterns and practices of abuse.
Since its founding, FIAC has closed nearly 75,000 cases and has become a national trendsetter in the immigration field. FIAC has grown from ten employees and a $400,000 budget to a staff of more than fifty and a budget approaching $4 million.
Note: All legal services pages on their website were under construction; and displayed no guidelines or information.
About Florida Legal Services, Inc. (FLS) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1973 to provide civil legal assistance to indigent persons who would not otherwise have the means to obtain a lawyer.
A statewide support center, dedicated to ensuring poor people have equal access to justice, FLS fulfills its mission primarily by working with local legal aid and legal service programs to improve their ability to provide legal assistance to those in need in their communities.
Providing service delivery coordination, training, case consultation and technical assistance to all legal service providers in Florida, FLS also is the coordinating organization for the first in the nation comprehensive Florida Supreme Court Voluntary Pro Bono Attorney Plan.
The client eligibility standard for legal assistance providers in Florida is 125 % of the federal poverty level. However, individual provider programs often have special grants that enable them to serve certain populations, such as the elderly, victims of domestic violence and others, with incomes which exceed the general eligibility standard. Therefore it is important to contact the provider program directly to determine possible eligibility for assistance.
Mission Statement Gulfcoast Legal Services is a regional non-profit organization dedicated to providing comprehensive, personal legal advocacy, counseling and education for vulnerable individuals and families.
Free Civil Legal Assistance Gulfcoast Legal Services is a non-profit corporation providing free legal aid to income eligible residents of the greater Tampa Bay area. We have offices in Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota and Hillsborough Counties. We also provide immigration services to residents of Pasco County as well as in the other four counties where we have offices.
We provide legal help with housing and mortgage foreclosure problems, family or domestic violence issues, immigration matters, SSI/disability and consumer matters. Gulfcoast Legal Services also has a special project to help seniors in Pinellas, Manatee and Sarasota Counties.
Family Law The Family Law Unit currently has staff in four GLS offices: Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Bradenton and Sarasota. The Family Law Unit helps victims of domestic violence obtain Injunctions for Protection Against Domestic Violence, dissolutions of marriage (divorce) and paternity actions.
Housing / Mortgage Foreclosure Gulfcoast legal Services provides housing assistance in four offices to low income people clients and people 60 years old and older without regard to income levels. Those offices are located in Bradenton, Clearwater, Sarasota, and St. Petersburg. The type of cases handled are :
Foreclosure Defense for your homestead
Foreclosure Counseling
Preservation of your homestead from predatory lending.
Eviction defense
Wrongful eviction, due to prohibited conduct, eg., locked out by your landlord or having the electricity or water shut off to make you leave.
Public Housing or Subsidized Housing matters
Public Housing or Subsidized Housing preservation
Section 8 Housing
Mobile Home Park Eviction defense or
Mobile Home Park Closing
AIMilitary Legal Advocacy Project Help for our Afghanistan and Iraqi Veterans. The AIMilitary Legal Advocacy Project provides legal advice and representation to veterans, and their families, who are serving or have served in either Afghanistan-Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) or Iraq-Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).
We provide legal advice, counsel, education, and representation to veterans and their families who reside in Sarasota, Manatee and Pinellas Counties.
• Our service includes: legal representation in claims and appeals before the Department of Veteran Affairs, defending inappropriate discharge or rating, applying for dependent and survivor benefits and obtaining military records.
• Our civil legal advice includes: accessing social security benefits, housing issues, including foreclosure, consumer related issues, access to healthcare and mental health resources, employment rights, and family and domestic violence issues.
About In 1976 Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, Inc. (JALA) was born. JALA is a law firm of 30 attorneys specializing in providing civil legal assistance to low-income persons. A non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, JALA is an equal opportunity service provider and does not discriminate in respect to race, sex, national origin, religion, disability, or age.
Please explore our site to determine if JALA may be of assistance to you or your family.
Jacksonville Area Legal Aid offers a wide variety of legal services and does not seem to adhere to the strict income guidelines that other legal service providers do. They not only provide free or low cost legal services to low income, but also to moderate income consumers.
ConsumerCommunity Counsel
Child & Youth Advocacy
Elder Law
Employment / Unemployment
Fair Housing Advocacy Unit
Family Law
Housing
Health & Public Benefits
Mental Health Advocacy Project
Ryan White Legal Project
Refugee Immigration
Deaf-Hard of Hearing
Prisoner Re-Entry Project
Legal Aid of the Orange County Bar Association, Inc.
Mission The primary purpose of the Legal Aid Society is to provide quality legal services for the low-income residents, the working poor, children, and disadvantaged groups with special legal needs in Orange County, Florida, and to assist in providing legal aid services to similarly situated residents of neighboring counties though an effective and fiscally sound program through the combined efforts of staff and pro bono attorneys.
Eligibility: The Legal Aid Society receives many requests for assistance. In order to most efficiently utilize its limited resources, guidelines have been established. They are based on the type of case, financial guidelines, as well as our resources.
Legal Services: • Family Law: Divorce, custody, and guardianships, protection from domestic violence. • Housing Law: Private tenant problems and foreclosure. • Consumer Law: Personal bankruptcies, debt collection, wage garnishment, bank account garnishment. • Immigration: Adjustment of status, citizenship, VAWA, and other immigration matters. • Employment: Unemployment compensation. • Guardian ad Litem: Only through appointment from Judges.
Legal Services Not Offered: • Criminal Cases • Child Support Enforcement • Worker's Compensation • Personal Injury • Traffic or DUI cases • Auto Accidents • Medical Malpractice • Civil Rights Claims • Or any fee generating case
Generally, in order to be eligible for free legal assistance from the Legal Aid Society, your income cannot exceed 150% (or one and one-half times) the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
Also, your case must be of the type we handle either through our in-house staff or through our Pro Bono Project.
Eligibility for some of our special programs (such as the Domestic Violence Project, Ryan White Legal Project, Fair Housing Project and Elder Law Project) are set by the funding source and are, in many instances, much more flexible than the 150% requirement.
Family Advocacy • Family Law Project • Domestic Violence Project • Family Empowerment Coalition
WHO WE HELP Each year we handle a variety of civil legal matters benefiting more than 30,000 individuals and families. We recover almost $1.5 million for clients in disability, unemployment, child support, and government benefits. In most cases, eligibility for services is based on an annual income at or below 125% of the federal poverty guidelines.
Households 68% Working Poor 59% Headed by Women 37% Children 23% Headed by Seniors
Types of Cases 49% Housing 33% Government Benefits 5% Consumer 5% Health 3% Family and Education 3% Miscellaneous 2% Immigration
Legal Services With over 500,000 eligible clients, we must prioritize the use of our limited resources so that we can maximize the aid we offer to individuals in our community who are in need of critical legal assistance.
Each year we develop our priorities with input from the community. This year our priorities will focus on the following areas:
Preservation of the Home and Promotion of Home Ownership
Promotion of Employment, Economic Security, and Health
Current Eligibility Guidelines LSNF eligibility income guidelines, based on household size, are established at 125% of the federal poverty guidelines. An applicant whose household income falls above the guidelines in this chart may still be eligible if certain expenses are deducted. At the time of application, you will also be required to provide information regarding your assets.
Legal Services: • SSI Matters • Welfare Matters • Unemployment Compensation • Dissolution of Marriage • Emergency Actions Involving Spouse Abuse • Education Issues • School Expulsions • Health Care Issues • Health Payment Disputes • Preparation of Documents Including Power of Attorney, Wills, Income Trusts • Subsidized Housing Matters • Evictions • Foreclosures • Bankruptcy • Real Property Matters Including Home Repair Disputes • Probate Actions • Other Civil Matters to the Extent Resources Allow
LSNF maintains offices in Fort Walton Beach, Quincy, Panama City and Tallahassee.
Go to the Fort Walton Beach office if you live in Okaloosa or Walton county.
Go to the Quincy office if you live in Calhoun, Gadsden, Jackson, or Liberty county.
Go to the Panama City office if you live in Bay, Gulf, Holmes, or Washington county.
Go to the Pensacola office if you live in Escambia or Santa Rosa County.
Go to the Tallahassee office if you live in Franklin, Leon, Jefferson, or Wakulla county.
About Our program provides free legal services to eligible Seminole County residents with their civil legal problems in the following areas:
Family Law: Representation in Divorce, custody, protection of families from domestic violence. Due to limited funding, we give priority to representation in Divorces where there exist minor children from the marriage.
Housing: Preservation of housing by resolving legal problems related to housing issues involving private landlords. Due to limited funding, we are unable to provide assistance with housing issues involving subsidized housing or public housing.
Guardianship: Representation in guardianships of minors, disabled adults or incapacitated elderly.
Consumer Law: Representation for the poor and the elderly who are susceptible to exploitation.
Educational Legal Seminars: Provide presentations to school children, elderly groups or civic organizations regarding legal issues.
Adopt a Nonprofit organization: Representation of Nonprofit organizations with civil matters.
Employment Law: Representation in employment law matters.
Application for Services Process: Call our office. Telephone: (407) 834-1660 • You will be screened for financial eligibility. • You will be screened for case eligibility. • If it appears that you meet our basic eligibility requirements you will be given an appointment to complete a detailed written application. • You need to bring proof of your income to the appointment. • You need to bring copies of any documents relating to your legal problem. • You shall be sent a letter with an eligibility decision within twenty one days of your appointment. • If you are approved, you shall be assigned to a staff attorney or a volunteer pro bono attorney who shall assist you with your legal matter free of legal fees.
Mission Statement Southern Legal Counsel, Inc. (SLC) is a not-for-profit public interest law firm that is committed to the ideal of equal justice for all. SLC seeks to make this ideal a reality by providing legal representation to selected individuals and groups who otherwise would not have access to the justice system and whose cases may bring about systemic reform for the benefit of others similarly situated.
SLC litigates on behalf of a diverse group of clients, including children and adults with disabilities, public housing tenants, residents of state institutions, historic communities, public school students, and others who have been denied access to the courts. SLC also provides training and technical assistance to lawyers, lay persons and organizations with similar commitments.
The Florida Bar v. Furman, 376 So. 2d 378 (Fla. 1979), discussed in S. Maher, No Bono: The Efforts of the Supreme Court of Florida to Promote the Full Availability of Legal Services, 41 U. Miami L. Rev. 973 (1987).
Co-counsel with Public Citizen Litigation Group for paralegal prosecuted by the Bar for unauthorized practice of law based on the assistance she provided to self-filers seeking uncontested divorces. This case addressed the issue of citizen access to domestic relations courts. Evidence was presented on the statewide inaccessibility of lawyers for persons seeking standardized or uncontested judicial relief who were unable to afford counsel. The Florida Supreme Court permitted Furman to prepare standardized legal forms and written instructions provided she rendered no personalized legal advice in their completion. Most significant was the Florida Supreme Court’s directive to the Bar to undertake a study of Florida's unmet legal needs and to propose solutions to the Court. The Court-required study was conducted by the Bar through the Center for Governmental Responsibility at the University of Florida College of Law. The "Furman Study" (as it is commonly known) recommended systemic changes which would make Florida's legal system more accessible to poor and middle income persons. The recommendations led to the creation of the Interest on Trust Accounts (IOTA) Program for funding legal services for the poor and the adoption of simplified divorce procedures and other reforms. The case also was a predicate for an on-going examination of legal access needs, including the Joint Commission on Delivery of Legal Services to the Indigent. The Florida Bar v. Moses,380 So.2d 412, 109 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2509 (Fla. 1980).
About Three Rivers Legal Services, Inc. is a local, non-profit corporation which provides free civil legal services to low-income, eligible clients in seventeen counties throughout North Florida.
In general if your total household income is below 200% for the federal poverty level and you have certain expenses associated with housing, employment, health or children that leave you with available household income at or below 125% of the federal poverty level, then you may be eligible for assistance from Three Rivers.
Legal Services: • Consumer Law Education • Elder Law; Employment Law • Family Law • Public Benefits Housing • Small Claims Clinic • Homeless Disability • Project Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic.
