Saturday 25 May 2013

Various Ways Of Getting Affordable Legal Assistance

By Vicki Diaz


Law is considered a very important profession. For one to be qualified as a lawyer, they must undergo intensive training and pass relevant exams. It is thus no surprise that their services are highly demanded. For the low-income earners, discussed below are some of the ways and places from where you can acquire affordable legal assistance.

Legal counsel can be sought from family members and friends who are qualified lawyers. These can either advice or represent you in court. Their advice may be obtained freely or at discounted costs. The advantage of dealing with people you know personally is that they would give you a hundred percent quality service. They can also be sought in future for any matters that may arise.

You can also seek the counsel of legal aid agencies. These are established to help people earning a certain level of income. Once you have proved to them that you are in the category specified, you can then discuss your issue with them and obtain their advice. These agencies have one big disadvantage. They mostly assist people who have issues that affect their daily life. This refers to matters to do with employment cases, immigration and evictions. However, the same can help you contact lawyers who can assist you in any issue falling outside this bracket.

Law firms offer free help to charitable organisations, religious and non-profit entities. This is mostly as a result of the requirement by most bar Associations which provides that lawyers should offer pro bono services every year. These comprises of free legal services offered equal to a specified hours. One has to do some research for them to identify such lawyers.

Law schools provide another venue to help out low-income earners. They organize clinics for their students and during this period, the students can represent real clients in courts. This ensures that they get experience based on real cases and this helps them even in future when they become qualified lawyers. However, they can only do so under supervision of their lecturers or professional lawyers.

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.

Lawyer referral services have been started to help out anybody who may require the services of an attorney. These have listed contacts for both expensive and easily affordable lawyers. Some law firms are known to offer free first time consultation services. You can utilize such an opportunity to enquire further about your case or anything else touching on law.

Some communities have developed non-profit programs meant to help the poor in their communities. Senior citizens are also given free lawyer services upon their retirement. The varying forms of affordable legal assistance discussed above are readily available to all who seek them.




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