Forms Of Affordable Legal Assistance
During the course of life, there may come a time when one requires the services and advice of a lawyer. When starting up a company, a lawyer and an accountant are the two key professionals that should be hired. However, the cost of seeking or consulting their services may be very high. It is therefore necessary to learn about the various forms of affordable legal assistance that one can acquire.
The easiest form would be through the help of family members and relatives. If there is a lawyer in the family, you should seek their advice and ask if they would agree to represent you in court. Family members can easily offer their services at discounted rates. Close friends could also offer their advice for free. Due to the basis of the relationship between you and the lawyer, you are likely to get quality assistance and can even consult them in future about other matters relating to law.
The other way to acquire this help at low rates is through contacting legal aid agencies. These provide free services to people below a certain income level. It is therefore necessary for you to prove that you are below that income level before they can start representing you. These agencies also limit their services to cases related to issues that affect your daily life. These could be employment issues, domestic violence cases, evictions and immigration problems.
Most lawyers are required to take up pro bono cases every year. This means that they work on cases for free. Most Bar Associations may require that every lawyer commits some hours in a year to pro bono work. The challenge in this is finding the lawyers who have not met the required hours. This may involve a lot of research work and time.
It is also common practice for law schools to hold clinics that allow their students to get hands on experience by representing low-income people. The students are permitted to offer legal counsel to their clients but under the supervision of their teachers or experienced attorneys. The clinics may however be limited in the fields of law that they can actually involve themselves in.
Some companies have prepaid plans that operate like insurance plans. They state the areas they cover and should you choose to purchase it, you make payments towards it. Such plans may provide advice through telephone conversations and office consultations that are brief. The main problem in this is that you may not be able to choose a lawyer personally.
There are also services designed to help the public look for lawyers. They are referred to as lawyer referral services and through them you can identify those who offer free or low-cost services. Other lawyers are known to offer free consultation the first time you seek their advice. You should use such an opportunity to learn all you can about their services.
There are other agencies set up to assist senior citizens who are sixty years and older. Non-profit programs have also been set up to help members in a community who cannot afford the legal fees. Affordable legal assistance can therefore be in any of the above mentioned forms forms.
The easiest form would be through the help of family members and relatives. If there is a lawyer in the family, you should seek their advice and ask if they would agree to represent you in court. Family members can easily offer their services at discounted rates. Close friends could also offer their advice for free. Due to the basis of the relationship between you and the lawyer, you are likely to get quality assistance and can even consult them in future about other matters relating to law.
The other way to acquire this help at low rates is through contacting legal aid agencies. These provide free services to people below a certain income level. It is therefore necessary for you to prove that you are below that income level before they can start representing you. These agencies also limit their services to cases related to issues that affect your daily life. These could be employment issues, domestic violence cases, evictions and immigration problems.
Most lawyers are required to take up pro bono cases every year. This means that they work on cases for free. Most Bar Associations may require that every lawyer commits some hours in a year to pro bono work. The challenge in this is finding the lawyers who have not met the required hours. This may involve a lot of research work and time.
It is also common practice for law schools to hold clinics that allow their students to get hands on experience by representing low-income people. The students are permitted to offer legal counsel to their clients but under the supervision of their teachers or experienced attorneys. The clinics may however be limited in the fields of law that they can actually involve themselves in.
Some companies have prepaid plans that operate like insurance plans. They state the areas they cover and should you choose to purchase it, you make payments towards it. Such plans may provide advice through telephone conversations and office consultations that are brief. The main problem in this is that you may not be able to choose a lawyer personally.
There are also services designed to help the public look for lawyers. They are referred to as lawyer referral services and through them you can identify those who offer free or low-cost services. Other lawyers are known to offer free consultation the first time you seek their advice. You should use such an opportunity to learn all you can about their services.
There are other agencies set up to assist senior citizens who are sixty years and older. Non-profit programs have also been set up to help members in a community who cannot afford the legal fees. Affordable legal assistance can therefore be in any of the above mentioned forms forms.