What Exactly is Legal Aid?
Legal aid is a vital service that provides free legal assistance to people who cannot afford an attorney. It is a lifeline for individuals and families who cannot navigate the complex legal system without help. Legal aid offers support in many different areas of the law, including housing, family law, consumer protection, and immigration. The goal of legal aid is to ensure that everyone, regardless of financial circumstance, has access to the justice system and the ability to defend their rights.
In Durham, NC, legal aid is typically provided by non-profit organizations and staffing local outer layer of pro bono professionals . These organizations often collaborate with local bar associations, law schools, and government agencies to provide comprehensive legal resources. They also offer educational programs and workshops to help people understand their legal rights and options.
Legal aid services are incredibly important because they level the playing field for those facing legal issues. Many people do not have the financial means to pay for a private attorney, which can result in a disadvantage when facing off against wealthier opponents, such as corporations or government agencies. Legal aid helps protect the rights of these individuals and ensures that they have the proper representation they need to present their cases effectively.
Where to Find Legal Aid in Durham, NC
Legal aid services in Durham, NC generally provide legal information and guidance about a variety of civil legal issues, such as consumer problems, housing matters, family law, and public benefits, and they commonly assist low-income individuals and the elderly. While legal aid groups do not handle criminal law matters, they may be able to refer clients to other organizations that might assist with problems such as criminal record expungement.
Durham-area organizations that offer legal aid in North Carolina include the Legal Aid of North Carolina-Durham Center, Durham County Guardian ad Litem District 14, the Wake County Bar Association, and the North Carolina Bar Association lawyer referral service. Legal Aid of North Carolina provides services to persons with low incomes who cannot pay for an attorney. The Durham office addresses noncriminal matters for clients in Durham, Franklin, Granville, Person, and Vance counties. The office offers limited to full-service representation, including information gathering, court preparation, and full representation in courts and administrative hearings.
For more than 30 years, the Guardian ad Litem District program in Durham has fought for children’s best interests in abuse, neglect, and dependency proceedings. The agency names a volunteer to represent a child’s interests in court. The representative can talk to the child’s teachers, doctors, and other caregivers, serve in court, and present information. The Wake County Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral Service helps clients find the right attorney.
The North Carolina Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral Service tries to put clients together with an attorney in a community close to the client’s home or office. It also tries to match attorneys with clients who speak another language.
How to Determine if You Are Eligible for Legal Aid in Durham
To qualify for free legal assistance in Durham, individuals must meet specific criteria. Non-Profit Legal Services of North Carolina has established these guidelines to help the most vulnerable in the community who do not have the ability to pay for legal assistance. Legal aid is not offered for cases that may involve collections, protection from harassment, libel and slander legal aid cases. Legal Assistance of North Carolina allows individuals to determine if they qualify for legal aid services on its website. Legal Assistance of North Carolina provides a questionnaire that individuals can take to find out if they qualify for legal aid services. This questionnaire gives an immediate response letting you know if your income meets the guidelines.
Legal Aid Organizations to Know in the Area
The key organizations in Durham, NC providing legal aid services to its residents are primarily led and fully staffed by professional and experienced attorneys and support staff members. Below is a list of the most important local and statewide organizations providing legal aid to the people of Durham.
The North Carolina Bar Association is a statewide organization that provides pro bono representation from experienced lawyers for people needing legal aid statewide, including in Durham. The organization offers free assistance for people in civil matters involving any area of the law; however, people with criminal case needs are not eligible for services.
Legal Aid of North Carolina-Durham is a part of the statewide public interest law firm and provides civil legal aid to the residents in Durham.
The Durham County Bar Association helps low-income clients in Durham and throughout the county by maintaining a legal aid website, educating the community about the law, and offering opportunities for pro bono service.
What Legal Aid Can Do For You
Legal aid in Durham, NC, provides a wide range of services to those living in poverty. Their services include assistance with income maintenance, protection from abuse, family law assistance, health and education, and assistance for those in need of legal representation when they are not able to afford it. Helping those facing eviction, obtaining public benefits like Social Security, food stamps, and LIHEAP, and representing victims of domestic violence in court are just a few of the many ways that legal aid can make a difference in the lives of Durham residents .
Nonprofit legal aid is funded in part by the federal government as well as state agencies and private donors. Donations to these organizations can be counted as charitable contributions on federal tax returns. Legal aid does not charge for its services and charges fees on the sliding scale for very small amounts for others. Legal aid will spend time listening to the circumstances of a problem and offer guidance when faced with a complicated issue.
The Struggles of Legal Aid Services
While legal aid services in Durham, NC do their best to help the most people possible, they inevitably are faced with challenges that limit their ability to serve the public. All legal aid organizations struggle with funding as federal and state funding continues to decrease. Many legal aid organizations rely on volunteer attorneys, law students, interns and other staff to assist with their services, but these people usually have limited time to offer. Volunteer attorneys typically agree to take a pro bono case if it’s already in the system because they don’t have time to build a completely new case. When funds run low, it also becomes difficult to cover other expenses such as administration of the organization, office space, phone bills, and other day-to-day costs that help keep the operation going.
Staffing is an ongoing issue. As noted above, there are various types of staff and personnel used by CAO, but each of these groups is limited by time and resources: CAO accepts new cases as they come in and screens and assigns cases to volunteers in its office. As stated on their website, "The need for legal representation is extensive, and the number of participants who ultimately receive representation is small in comparison." This is an unfortunate fact that exists in most legal aid organizations across the country. In 2013, legal aid organizations in North Carolina assisted 51,839 clients with civil legal issues. North Carolina organizations were only able to provide meaningful assistance to 27,673 of these people. Additional statistics show that in 2014, there was an unmet legal need of 629,628 people in North Carolina.
Other Legal Aid Resources and Assistance
Community Resources
In addition to the services provided by the Durham County Courthouse Self-Help Center and Legal Aid of North Carolina – Durham Regional Office, many community organizations exist to provide pro bono legal help to those in need. Among them are the NC Bar Foundation’s Pro Bono Legal Services Program, Durham County Social Services, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), and Legal Aid NC – Wilson Regional Office. The Foundation’s Pro Bono Services Program provides free , civil legal assistance to North Carolina residents who cannot afford an attorney. Durham County Social Services provides various social services programs and coordinates the delivery of social services to meet the public need. CASA is a nonprofit organization that selects and trains volunteers to serve as an independent voice for abused, neglected, or abandoned children who are involved in court proceedings. Legal Aid NC – Wilson Regional Office serves clients in 17 counties across Eastern North Carolina, including Durham County.