Legal Services

Results: 41

• Adult Protective Services (6)
  PH-6500.0500

  Adult Protective Services

  PH-6500.0500
  
  Social services programs that provide assistance for older adults, people with disabilities and other vulnerable individuals who are unable to act on their own behalf or manage their own affairs, or who are in immediate danger due to physical or emotional abuse, unsafe or hazardous living conditions, exploitation, neglect, self-neglect or abandonment. Included are APS programs that investigate cases of abuse, neglect or exploitation working closely with a wide variety of professionals including physicians, nurses, firefighters and law enforcement officers following receipt of a report from friends, neighbors or others concerned for their safety; and public and private guardianship/conservatorship programs that make provisions for people who have been judged to be incompetent by the court by assuming responsibility for the care and custody of the individuals and/or for the management of their estates.
• Advance Medical Directives (1)
  FT-2700.0500

  Advance Medical Directives

  FT-2700.0500
  
  Programs that provide assistance for people who want to use the tools appropriate in their state to express their wishes regarding future medical treatment should they become incapacitated and/or to name the individual they would like to make health care decisions on their behalf. Included are programs that provide copies of necessary forms as well as those that help people complete them.
• Alternative Dispute Resolution (5)
  FP-0700

  Alternative Dispute Resolution

  FP-0700
  
  Programs that offer procedures for settling disputes which serve as alternatives to a conventional court trial. ADR procedures are less costly than litigation, produce a settlement more quickly, allow for more flexibility, preserve relationships among parties, permit confidentiality and can produce solutions that are satisfactory to both parties rather than a winner and a loser.
• Child Custody/Visitation Assistance (1)
  FT-3000.1500

  Child Custody/Visitation Assistance

  FT-3000.1500
  
  Programs that provide assistance for people who want to obtain custody of their children as a part of a divorce or separation action, who want to appeal all or a portion of the terms of a previous child custody decision, or in the case of a noncustodial parent, who want to establish or appeal the terms of a visitation award or a court-ordered visitation schedule. Included are programs that provide child custody/visitation assistance for people who are not legally married but have children together.
• Child Support Assistance/Enforcement (2)
  FT-3000.1600

  Child Support Assistance/Enforcement

  FT-3000.1600
  
  Programs that provide assistance which helps to ensure that parents fulfill their mutual obligation to financially support and provide health care for their children. Included are services for people who want to locate an absent parent; establish paternity; establish a child support order; request that the non-custodial parent provide health insurance for a child in conjunction with a child support order; change the amount of a child support award; dispute a child support award; or enforce payment of child support monies in cases where the supporting parent is delinquent in paying or refuses to pay or make health insurance arrangements altogether. Child support is money paid by one parent to another for the maintenance, including the education, of their children following the dissolution of their marriage or other relationship. Non-custodial parents enrolled in an insurance plan at work may be required to include the child under this coverage while those not covered by any insurance plan may be required to obtain medical coverage, if available at a reasonable cost. Child support assistance/enforcement may be provided by private attorneys, legal clinics, family law facilitators' offices or child support enforcement programs which are available in all states, often as a component of the district attorney's office.
• Comprehensive Family Law Services (1)
  FT-3000.1640

  Comprehensive Family Law Services

  FT-3000.1640
  
  Programs that provide information and advice, help with documents, legal counseling and/or representation and other forms of legal assistance which deal broadly with family law issues such as divorce and separation, child custody and access, and support payments rather than specializing in a particular issue that concerns relationships and rights within families.
• Consumer Law (2)
  FT-1070

  Consumer Law

  FT-1070
  
  Programs that provide assistance for people who have cases involving violations of federal and state statutes governing sales and credit practices involving consumer goods, in situations where appeals to consumer complaints organizations have not resolved the issue. Consumer law cases involve deceptive or unconscionable advertising and sales practices, product quality, credit financing and reporting, debt collection, leases, and other aspects of consumer transactions.
• Criminal Record Expungement Assistance (1)
  FT-2800.1500

  Criminal Record Expungement Assistance

  FT-2800.1500
  
  Programs that provide assistance for people who want to submit a petition requesting that the court order the official and formal sealing or erasure of records related to a particular criminal case maintained by police agencies at all levels, the prosecuting attorney's office, the office of the clerk of the court and/or agencies that are part of the criminal correctional system. Most jurisdictions have laws that permit, even mandate, the sealing or expungement of juvenile records as well as statutes that relate to adult records and the conditions under which they may be cleared.
• Divorce Records (1)
  DF-7000.1800

  Divorce Records

  DF-7000.1800
  
  Programs that maintain and, where appropriate, provide access to or copies of the official document that dissolves a marriage relationship between two people.
• Domestic Violence Protective/Restraining Orders (1)
  FT-6940.1900

  Domestic Violence Protective/Restraining Orders

  FT-6940.1900
  
  Programs that help adults obtain an order from the police or the courts that protects them from abuse or threats of abuse from a current or former spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend, someone they have a child with, someone they live with or someone they are related to through blood or marriage. Included are emergency protective orders that police can obtain from the court to provide immediate protection to an abused family member for five to seven days until an application for a temporary restraining order can be made in court; longer-term temporary restraining orders issued in civil court that forbid contact with the protected person until the propriety of granting a permanent injunction can be evaluated; permanent or after-hearing restraining orders that make a short-term injunction granted in the temporary restraining order permanent (or specify the amount of time they will remain in effect); and criminal temporary protective orders which apply in situations where an abusive individual has been arrested and faces trial.
• Domestic/Family Violence Legal Services (2)
  FT-3000.1750

  Domestic/Family Violence Legal Services

  FT-3000.1750
  
  Programs that provide information and guidance and/or representation in court proceedings for individuals who have been abused in an intimate relationship and/or for people who are facing a summary conviction offence or criminal charge for perpetrating abuse. Included are domestic violence law clinics and other legal assistance programs that represent victims of domestic abuse at restraining order hearings or in other civil or criminal actions involving charges against an abuser. Most also represent the person's interests in complexities that arise as part of the legal process such as restitution, payment of debts or child support, custody and visitation and property control. Some programs may also represent victims of domestic abuse who have been charged with a crime and/or handle cases involving accusations of child abuse filed by one parent against the other, abuse of an elderly person by an adult child or abuse of an adult child by a parent.
• Elder Law (3)
  FT-2450

  Elder Law

  FT-2450
  
  Programs that provide information and guidance for individuals who need assistance in the area of law which relates to the rights and needs of older adults, especially in the areas of age discrimination, consumer fraud, estate planning and management, living trusts, trust administration, probate, property law, retirement planning, pension benefits, Social Security benefits, Medicaid and Medicare, disability planning, long-term care alternatives, health care decisions, elder abuse, guardianships and conservatorships.
• Environmental Law (1)
  FT-2550

  Environmental Law

  FT-2550
  
  Programs that provide assistance for people who are involved in disputes relating to laws that are intended to protect the environment. Individual cases may deal with disputes relating to land use, zoning decisions, air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution, soil contamination, treatment of endangered species, wetlands management and other issues that have an impact on the environment.
• Estate Settlement Information (1)
  FT-6900.1815

  Estate Settlement Information

  FT-6900.1815
  
  Programs that provide information about the process of closing the estate of someone who has died which typically involves filing for probate, securing assets, settling debts, filing taxes, distributing assets to beneficiaries and maintaining records of estate financial transactions. Executors are either named in the will or if there is no will, appointed by the court. The information may be structured for individuals who have been asked to serve as an executor and/or personal representative and needs to understand the associated responsibilities and their own qualifications before accepting, or for executors who have been informed of the death of the family member or friend and need to begin the settlement process.
• Eviction Prevention Legal Assistance (2)
  FT-4500.1800

  Eviction Prevention Legal Assistance

  FT-4500.1800
  
  Programs that provide assistance for people are being evicted, either wrongfully or with reason, from their apartments or other rental property. Also included are programs that attempt to prevent eviction and possible homelessness by providing mediation services to negotiate a compromise between an individual and the landlord.
• General Benefits Assistance (1)
  FT-1000.2500

  General Benefits Assistance

  FT-1000.2500
  
  Programs that focus broadly on helping individuals who are having difficulty understanding and/or obtaining grants, payments, services or other benefits for which they are eligible rather than offering more specialized services relating to a particular type of benefit.
• General Legal Aid (3)
  FT-3200

  General Legal Aid

  FT-3200
  
  Programs that provide legal counseling and/or representation for low-income individuals who need assistance in routine legal matters, usually in the area of bankruptcy, housing, public benefits, family law, elder law or immigration/naturalization.
• Grandparent Rights (1)
  FT-3000.2500

  Grandparent Rights

  FT-3000.2500
  
  Programs that provide assistance for grandparents who feel that their visitation and custody rights with regard to their grandchildren have been violated. Also included are organizations that provide information about the rights of grandparents and/or referrals for grandparents who need to locate a lawyer who has expertise in this area, or other legal resources.
• Guardianship Assistance (2)
  FT-6900.2500

  Guardianship Assistance

  FT-6900.2500
  
  Programs that provide assistance for people who are in favor of or want to oppose the appointment of a guardian to care for and/or manage the affairs of a child or adolescent during minority (generally younger than age 18). In some states, particularly those with no arrangements for conservatorships, whose conservatorships are voluntary covering property and powers designated by the conservatee or whose conservatorships address only the individual's estate, guardianships may also apply to adults who have been found by the courts to be incapable of managing their own affairs.
• Health Care Discrimination Assistance (1)
  FT-1800.2900

  Health Care Discrimination Assistance

  FT-1800.2900
  
  Programs that provide assistance for people who believe that they have been treated unfairly, denied health or mental health care services or benefits or have experienced delays in service provision based on their age, gender, family composition, race or ethnic origin, nationality, religion, disability, sexual orientation or marital status.
• Health Law (1)
  FT-3250

  Health Law

  FT-3250
  
  Programs that provide assistance for clinics, hospitals, provider networks, health maintenance organizations, home health care organizations, imaging centers, nursing homes, pharmacies and other organizations in the health care industry in need of legal advice or representation regarding legislative and regulatory issues, patient/resident issues, staff issues, certificates of need, third party payments, alternative health care delivery systems, licensing and accreditation, institutional review, policy and procedure development and implementation, physician contracts and compensation, Medicare and Medicaid compliance, and medical ethics issues such as withholding or withdrawing medical treatment. Health lawyers also provide legal services for organizations confronted with a health-related investigation or litigation; and offer support regarding a wide variety of operational issues such as medical records systems, HIPAA compliance, patient confidentiality, informed consent, physician recruitment, quality of care and utilization management. Some lawyers in this area may also represent patients.
• Housing Discrimination Assistance (3)
  FT-1800.3000

  Housing Discrimination Assistance

  FT-1800.3000
  
  Programs that provide assistance for people who believe that they have been denied an opportunity to purchase, lease or rent the home or apartment of their choice due to their age, gender, family composition (including families with children under the age of 18 and pregnant women), race or color, nationality, religion, disability, sexual orientation or marital status, actions that are prohibited by the federal Fair Housing Act of 1968 and the federal Fair Housing Act Amendments Act of 1988 in the U.S. Federal fair housing law also extends limited protection to recovering alcoholics who actively and regularly participate in a medically based treatment or AA program, and people with a drug use disorder including those who have prior convictions for illegal drug use (but not for drug dealing or manufacture). Assistance may also be available to other individuals who are protected from housing discrimination by state or local laws with a broader set of protected categories, or which cover properties that are exempt from federal fair housing laws but are protected under state law.
• Identification Application Assistance (1)
  FT-3400

  Identification Application Assistance

  FT-3400
  
  Programs that assist individuals who have inadequate or no ID, particularly those who are homeless or have little or no income, to obtain or replace identifying documents. May include assisting clients with application forms, filing and paying for applications on the client's behalf, providing a mailing address when necessary for delivery, and offering ongoing safe storage for the documents.
• Landlord/Tenant Dispute Resolution (4)
  FT-4500.4600

  Landlord/Tenant Dispute Resolution

  FT-4500.4600
  
  Programs that help tenants and landlords resolve disputes regarding security and other rental deposits, unsanitary conditions, failure to make repairs, privacy, notice requirements, excessive rent increases, nonpayment of rent, neglect or damage to property, overcrowding or other grievances.
• Lawyer Referral Services (3)
  FT-4800

  Lawyer Referral Services

  FT-4800
  
  Programs that maintain lists of private attorneys and link people who need legal assistance with lawyers who specialize in the required area of law.
• Legal Counseling (3)
  FP-4000

  Legal Counseling

  FP-4000
  
  Programs that are staffed by lawyers who offer information and guidance regarding legal matters, proposed lines of conduct, claims or contentions including opinions on the party's rights, responsibilities and liabilities; and who offer suggestions for an appropriate course of action, but do not represent clients in court.
• Legal Information Services (2)
  TJ-3200.4500

  Legal Information Services

  TJ-3200.4500
  
  Programs that provide information about specific legal problems and procedures that interested individuals can access on a website or in person, or by telephone, email, chat, text or other communication channel. Information may be in a self-serve, browsable format (for example a web resource directory or library of audio recordings) or provided by live agents with expertise in the field. Also included are legal aid services, bar associations and other programs that provide basic information about family law, landlord/tenant law, immigration law, consumer law, elder law, patient rights, the rights of persons with disabilities, the criminal justice system, the civil court system and other legal topics via workshops, classes, speaking engagements, printed materials, video tutorials, websites and other similar educational avenues.
• Legal Representation (1)
  FP-4500

  Legal Representation

  FP-4500
  
  Programs that are staffed by lawyers who appear on behalf of their clients in criminal, civil and/or administrative actions and proceedings in addition to offering legal advice and guidance.
• Long Term Care Ombudsman Programs (1)
  FT-4950

  Long Term Care Ombudsman Programs

  FT-4950
  
  Programs that investigate and attempt to resolve complaints made by or on behalf of residents of nursing facilities, residential care homes, assisted living facilities and other supervised living facilities for older adults. The program also promotes policies and practices that improve the quality of life, health, safety, welfare and rights of residents; monitors laws, regulations and policies that affect those who live in long-term care facilities; provides the public with information about long-term care options; and promotes the development of consumer organizations concerned about long-term care. Under the federal Older Americans Act, every state is required to have an Ombudsman Program that addresses complaints and advocates for improvements in the long term care system.
• Mediation (1)
  FP-0700.5000

  Mediation

  FP-0700.5000
  
  Programs that provide a neutral third person who is acceptable to all parties to a dispute who facilitates discussion between the parties and aids them in making their own settlement decisions.
• Name Change Assistance (1)
  FT-5900

  Name Change Assistance

  FT-5900
  
  Programs that provide assistance for people who want to file a petition to legally change their name.
• Neighborhood Dispute Resolution Services (1)
  FT-5970

  Neighborhood Dispute Resolution Services

  FT-5970
  
  Mediation centers in local neighborhoods that help to resolve problems between residents that relate to issues such as noise, the behavior of pets and children, visual eyesores (e.g., trash, unkempt lawns, offensive signs) and property boundary disputes. When disputes between neighbors over nuisance related items can be resolved through alternative methods such as mediation, the local government does not have to become involved with a formal complaint investigation and remediation process.
• Notary Public Services (2)
  FT-6100

  Notary Public Services

  FT-6100
  
  Public officials who are authorized by the state to administer oaths and affirmations, take affidavits and depositions, attest to the authenticity of signatures and take acknowledgment of and certify deeds and other conveyances.
• Regulations/Standards (3)
  DF-8000

  Regulations/Standards

  DF-8000
  
  Programs that have regulatory and/or oversight responsibilities in enforcing the laws and standards established through consumer protection or fair trade legislation.
• Sexual Assault Protective/Restraining Orders (1)
  FT-6940.7900

  Sexual Assault Protective/Restraining Orders

  FT-6940.7900
  
  Programs that help people who have been sexually assaulted obtain a protective order from the court which requires that the alleged perpetrator stay away from the victim or the place where the victim lives or works, and to have no further contact with the victim.
• Small Claims Courts (1)
  FC-8200.8100-800

  Small Claims Courts

  FC-8200.8100-800
  
  State courts that hear civil cases involving no more than $5,000 and which require parties to the action to present their own cases. The judge hears both sides and renders a judgment.
• State Attorneys General (1)
  FJ-6700.8000

  State Attorneys General

  FJ-6700.8000
  
  The chief law officer for the state who supervises the legal affairs of the state, provides legal counsel to the administrators of state government and to county legal officers, supervises the activities of law enforcement agencies, has supervisory authority over county district attorneys and serves as the chief legal counsel in all litigation involving the state. While varying from one jurisdiction to the next due to statutory and constitutional mandates, typical powers of the Attorneys General include the authority to issue formal opinions to state agencies; act as public advocates in areas such as child enforcement, consumer protections, antitrust and utility regulation; propose legislation; enforce federal and state environmental laws; represent the state and state agencies before the state and federal courts; handle criminal appeals and serious statewide criminal prosecutions; institute civil suits on behalf of the state; represent the public's interests in charitable trust and solicitations; and operate victim compensation programs.
• Tenant Rights Information/Counseling (4)
  FT-4500.8550

  Tenant Rights Information/Counseling

  FT-4500.8550
  
  Programs that provide information and guidance for tenants who need to know their rights and responsibilities regarding leases and rental agreements, deposits, legal eviction procedures, measures to protect themselves from unlawful or retaliatory evictions, rent withholding rights, rent control requirements, privacy rights and other issues that may be of particular interest to tenants. Tenant rights counseling may also include assistance in completing forms, advice regarding a particular dispute and contact with the offending landlord to provide notification that she or he is not in compliance with landlord/tenant laws.
• Traffic Courts (1)
  FC-8200.8100-900

  Traffic Courts

  FC-8200.8100-900
  
  State courts that hear cases which involve metropolitan area traffic violations.
• Veteran Benefits Assistance (3)
  FT-1000.9000

  Veteran Benefits Assistance

  FT-1000.9000
  
  Programs that provide assistance for veterans who are having difficulty understanding and/or obtaining the full benefits and services to which they are entitled by law based on service to their country. The programs may help veterans understand the eligibility criteria for benefits, the benefits provided by the program, the payment process and the rights of beneficiaries; provide consultation and advice; help them complete benefits application forms; negotiate on their behalf with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs staff; and/or represent them in administrative processes or judicial litigation. Included are Veteran Services Officers (VSOs) who are trained and accredited by the Veteran's Administration (VA) and can be found in offices specific to each state, the county courthouse, the local VA office and local veteran's rights organizations; as well as legal aid programs that offer more formalized legal assistance.
• Wage Assignment Assistance (1)
  FT-9200

  Wage Assignment Assistance

  FT-9200
  
  Programs that provide legal assistance for people who want to petition the court to transfer wages earned by another person to themselves in order to settle a debt or judgment.