Sources Of Free Legal Services For Seniors
1. Legal AidLegal Services Corporation is the nonprofit organization that provides free legal services to low-income Americans. They fund 133 independent nonprofit legal aid organizations across the U.S.
Typically, LSC-funded programs help people who live in households with annual incomes at or below 125% of the federal poverty guidelines.
However, income qualifications and available legal services will vary depending on the location.
2. Community legal services for seniorsYour countys Area Agency on Aging provides community resources for seniors and caregivers. Theyll be able to connect you to local organizations that provide free and low-cost legal help for seniors.
To search online for community legal resources in your area:
To speak with someone at Eldercare Locator, call 1-800-677-1116.
3. Pro Bono programsPro bono programs match low-income people with volunteer lawyers who agree to take their cases for free.
Find a Pro Bono program in your local area through the LawHelp.org directory.
4. LegalHotlines.orgA legal hotline allows seniors to ask legal questions over the phone.
If the question cant be answered over the phone, the hotline can also help you find the necessary legal aid services in your area.
5. National Disability Rights Network This nonprofit organization provides legally based advocacy services to people with disabilities in the United States.
Hospice And Palliative Care
The Washington State Hospice and Palliative Care Organization offers many resources to adults and seniors in order to enhance their end-of-life care. The nonprofit organization was founded in 1983.
Through advocacy and education, the WSHPC connects resources and caregivers with people who maintain terminal or life-threatening illnesses. These efforts allow people with terminal illnesses to determine which end-of-life options are available and make it possible for them to access better care during their final days. To learn more about how the WSHPC connects people with quality end-of-life care options, visit the organizationâs website or contact them by phone.
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization serves United States citizens in all fifty states who are nearing the end of their life. Founded in 1978, the NHPCO is the largest nonprofit organization in the U.S. dedicated to bringing hospice services and palliative care to the dying. Thousands of individuals are able to access hospice services and quality end-of-life care as members of the NHPCO.
Legal Services For Seniors
Legal service programs are staffed by attorneys and paralegals who appear on behalf of their clients in administrative actions and proceedings, in addition to offering legal advice and guidance when appropriate. This includes assistance with victims of abuse, medical bills, advocacy, public benefits, drafting a will and establishing a conservatorship.
AARP Legal Counsel for the Elderly601 E Street, NW, Room A-4Washington, DC 20049
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State Funded Civil Legal Aid In Washington State
Every Day in Washington State
- Working people lose their jobs
- Families are being evicted or having their homes foreclosed upon
- Women and children are abused and forced to seek protection
- Frail elderly homeowners are victimized by predatory lending scams
- Disabled children are denied the help they need to perform well in school
- Victims of crime experience a range of civil legal problems due to their victimization
- People with physical, mental, or developmental disabilities cannot access needed governmental services and necessary support
- Homeless families and children cannot access needed services and support
- Low-income people cannot access critically needed health and mental health care services
Justice is Wanting
- Seventy percent of all low income households experience at least one important civil legal problem each year. Those who experience one civil legal problem on average experience nearly nine often interrelated legal problems. Nearly three-quarters do not get the legal help they need to solve their problems.
- Many civil legal problems involve fundamental issues such as personal and family safety, housing, shelter and security, access to governmental services and the like. Women and children and people of color experience more civil legal needs than the general low-income population. Domestic violence and sexual assault survivors have the highest number of needs of any segment of the low income population.
What is Civil Legal Aid?
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Household Size |
Legal Assistance For Veterans & Military Personnel
The Attorney Generals Office of Military and Veteran Legal Assistance was created for the purposes of promoting and facilitating civil legal assistance programs, pro bono services, and self-help services for military service members, Veterans, and their families. As part of its efforts, the Office of Military and Veteran Legal Assistance identifies programs and maintains the following registry so that military service members and Veterans have a single source of information about the various legal assistance resources uniquely available to them.
More specifically, below you will find:
The Attorney Generals Office of Military and Veteran Legal Assistance can connect volunteer attorneys and civil legal assistance programs to qualifying military service members and veterans who need help with select civil legal issues. You can request help using the button below.
| Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program |
| For military personnel and their families, the Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program serves as a source of legal information, including free legal services and attorney advice. Each branch of the Armed Forces has specific regulations explaining the legal services they provide. Specific services may vary by installation based on available resources and expertise of the legal assistance attorneys. |
| To seek help: Use the link above to locate the nearest legal assistance office and its contact information. |
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Find Estate Lawyers To Work For You
Estate and trust planning is the process of using professional advisors or lawyers who are familiar with your goals, concerns, and assets to organize your estate and/or set up your trust. Estate Lawyers can assist with Estate planning, which covers the transfer of property at death as well as other personal matters.
Estate administration is the process of maintenance and distribution of assets after someone dies. This is done in agreement with either the will of the decedent or state law.
The person appointed to administer the estate may have tax or legal questions that need to be answered by a lawyer or tax professional. An experienced estate lawyer will know what to do, and help guide you through the legal process.
If you choose to create a will or trust, consulting with an attorney experienced in estate planning is always a wise thing to do. Drafting a will or trust can be difficult and the help of a professional can be crucial. The potential tax implications and legal formalities of will and trust drafting make a lawyer’s counsel indispensable. A lawyer can explain all your options and help you understand what types of wills or trusts are right for you and your family.
- Estate Planning
- Estate Administration
- Drafting a Will or Trust
If you would like to learn more about drafting a will or trust, please feel free to post a question on our Wills, Trusts, and Estates Law Forum.
Do You Need Legal Information Or Self
This site provides a wealth of information, suggested resources, printable self-help packets, videos and more on the following issues:
Attorney Generals Office Consumer Protection
Offers help on consumer protection issues.
Benefits Law Center
Provides legal advice and representation to low-income individuals with disabilities, helping them obtain Social Security disability and SSI benefits.
686-7252 or info@benefitslawcenter.org | benefitslawcenter.org
Disability Rights Washington
Provides legal information for people with disabilities.
324-1521 or 562-2702 | www.disabilityrightswa.org
Fair Work Center
Provides a civil legal aid clinic for workers in employment law cases the clinic is operated in partnership with Seattle University and the University of Washington schools of law.
485-1195 or help@fairworkcenter.org | www.fairworkcenter.org
King County Bar Association Free Legal Assistance
Provides legal services to people facing evictions, landlord-tenant disputes, contested divorce, SSI issues and more.
King County Dispute Resolution Center
Offers affordable mediation and conflict resolution services for individuals, families and businesses.
443-9603 or drcinfo@kcdrc.org | www.kcdrc.org
Legal Counsel for Youth & Children
Advances legal rights of young people through direct representation, community partnerships, and systemic advocacy.
Legal Voice
Moderate Means Program
Provides direct legal services to immigrants.
587-4009 or 445-5771 | www.nwirp.org
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The Legal Hotline Learn More
LCEs Legal Hotline provides free legal advice, assistance and referrals to:
- All D.C. residents 60 years of age or older
- D.C. residents 55 years of age or older with Social Security and Supplemental Security Income disability issues
- D.C. home adaptation program, Safe at Home.
Get Free Legal Advice In Washington
Qualified residents of Washington can receive free legal help and representation. Eligible low to moderate income individuals, the elderly and disabled can receive assistance with a variety of issues and civil legal problems. The organization that provides this service throughout the state is the Northwest Justice Project.
The non-profit law firms employs hundreds of attorneys, support staff and other legal professionals across the state. They handle a large variety of problems, including evictions, domestic violence, loss of housing, debt collection, and foreclosure legal assistance. Those tend to be the most commonly requested services, however there is also help for consumer protection issues, job conditions or lost wages, lack of access to or loss of government benefits or health care, and much more. Find more details below, as well as who to contact to sign up for the legal assistance programs.
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Washington Elder Law Lawyers
- Free Consultation
About Washington Law Help
Washington Law Help is a guide to free civil legal services for low-income persons and seniors in Washington. This site provides legal education materials and tools that give you basic information on a number of legal problems, and in some cases, detailed instructions and forms to help you represent yourself in court. You can also locate information on free legal aid programs in Washington, including basic eligibility and contact information.
This website is maintained by staff at the Northwest Justice Project . NJP is a not-for-profit statewide organization that provides free civil legal services to low-income people from 18 offices throughout the state of Washington. Each year, NJP assists thousands of people in need of critical legal assistance.
This website is one of many state LawHelp websites which is made possible through a grant from the Legal Services Corporation.
The LawHelp website platform was created and is maintained by Pro Bono Net , a national nonprofit founded in 1999 whose mission is to bring the power of the law to all through technology and collaboration. Pro Bono Net’s programs equip individuals with solutions to life-changing legal issues and transform how the civil justice sector collaborates to tackle justice problems.
For questions or more information about Washington Law Help, fill out our Contact Form.
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What Is Elder Law
Elder Law has been defined as the legal practice of counseling and representing older persons, their representatives, and their families about the legal aspects of estate planning, health and long-term care planning, public benefits, surrogate decision-making, capacity, conservation, disposition and administration of older persons estates, and the implementation of their decisions concerning such matters.
Elder law attorneys can give necessary consideration to the applicable tax consequences of the action and the need for more sophisticated tax, health care, public benefits and estate planning expertise. Washington elder law attorneys understand and recognize issues of concern that arise during counseling and representation of older and incapacitated persons, or their representatives, with respect to abuse, neglect, exploitation, insurance, housing, long-term care, employment and retirement.
Elder law attorneys are also be familiar with the resources and services available to meet the needs of older persons. and must further be capable of recognizing professional conduct and ethical issues that arise during such representation.
Elder law integrates the legal system with social and medical concerns for the benefit of the client. An elder law attorney is knowledgeable about Federal laws and Washington laws which affect an individuals well being and personal wishes.
What Is The Cost
There are two categories of membership. If you are a member of the WSBA, you pay the lawyer membership fee, currently $35 per year. If you are not an attorney in the state of Washington, you may join as a subscriber, at the same $35-per-year rate. Subscribers receive the newsletters and notices of activities of the section, but they do not have voting status.
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Do You Need To Speak To An Attorney If So Call 2
King County 2-1-1 provides the most comprehensive information on health and human services available to King County residents. The information and referral specialists at 2-1-1 can direct callers to appropriate legal services available to low-income residents. They can also direct callers to other needed services, including food, shelter, housing, rent and utility assistance, health care, family support, financial assistance and more.
The referral line is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
What will happen when people call 2-1-1 for legal help? 2-1-1 specialists are not lawyers and cannot provide legal advice. However, callers can expect to speak with a trained information and referral specialist who will collect demographic and income information, discuss their legal issue, and, if an appropriate legal resource is available, provide a referral.
People may also access the Crisis Center 211 website for information on legal services and service providers.
Alzheimers Disease And Other Dementias
The Dementia Action Collaborative Information and Resources creates resources for families across the state of Washington to learn more about Alzheimerâs and other dementias. All resources offered by the DAC are free.
Caregivers can effectively prepare for their friend or family memberâs journey with dementia by viewing the DACs Dementia Road Map, or they may access any of the programâs other resources dedicated to spreading awareness for the disease.
The Alzheimerâs Association is one of the largest nonprofit advocates for Alzheimerâs research, care, and innovation in the world. Thousands of caregivers use AAâs resources to learn more about caring for someone with dementia. While the AA operates on a national level, each state has its own branch of the organization, which serves local communities. Caregivers may contact the AA directly for information, visit one of the AAâs local branches, or use the guides and information available on the organizationâs website to learn more about dementia and Alzheimerâs.
To find your local chapter, use the Alzheimers Association locator tool.
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Washington Agency On Aging
Seniors who need support can receive assistance from an Agency on Aging center in Washington. A number of programs are resources are offered for older adults over 55, elderly, and seniors. Information, details on financial assistance programs, and general advice is available from an aging office.
The federal government and state of Washington Senior Community Service Employment Program can help people age 55 or older get a job. The Resource Center operates in many agency on aging offices, and the centers will usually help hundreds of senior citizens and older workers find jobs and access training. The objective is to help people gain employment so that they can increase their income, which will allow them to pay their bills and support their basic needs on their own. Services are free to low income, unemployed, and otherwise qualified job seekers.
Agency on aging services offered as part of the jobs program include access to Job listings Quarterly employment workshops Computer access for resume writing and Internet research Training resources to upgrade job skills including computer classes and Individual job counseling.
People across Washington are also encouraged to use the employment and volunteer services. They provide a way to help the individual find meaningful work and keep their skills current, all while they continue to contribute to their local community.
Free Advice For Foreclosure Counseling
Thousands of Washington state residents are losing their homes to foreclosure. For those that qualify, lawyers can provide free assistance and guidance to them. Contact Northwest Justice Project for information and help with home mortgage foreclosures and the process.
You can receive information, support and access to programs that may be able to help save your home. In some cases the firm will partner with HUD approved housing counselors. Also, support is provided for people who are on the receiving end of predatory mortgages or lending abuses. These homeowners can also receive aid, and in fact they can often be a priority.
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