Massachusetts
You are not eligible at this time.
Based on one or more of your answers to our required questions, this site cannot help you at this time. Below is a list of other places to find help.
Hiring a lawyer:
- Lawyer Referal Services connect potential clients with lawyers. You contact the Lawyer Referral Service and give them information about your legal problem. The Lawyer Referral Service will give you contact information for one or more lawyers who might be able to help. Most of the time, you will need to pay if you want to hire the lawyer, although the first meeting is often free or low cost. List of Massachusetts Lawyer Referral Services.
Free legal information resources in Massachusetts
- MassLegalHelp: www.masslegalhelp.org was put together by Massachusetts legal aid programs to help you find practical information about your legal rights in Massachusetts. It includes information about many areas, including housing, evictions, divorce, family law, child support, debt collection, bankruptcy, SSI, food stamps, domestic violence, and criminal records.
- Trial Court website: www.mass.gov/courts/selfhelp/ is the Massachusetts Trial Court’s website. In addition to legal information about many areas, including housing, family law, small claims and traffic and ticket offenses, it includes information about court forms, court house locations and hours.
- Ask a Law Librarian is a free service from the Massachusetts Trial Court Law Library. You can get help finding legal resources by contacting the librarians via text, chat, instant message, email, phone or visiting a library.
Free civil (non criminal) legal Help or representation:
- Legal Aid Programs: Depending on your income, legal problem and where you live, you may be eligible for a free legal advocate from a civil legal aid program. Use the Massachusetts Legal Resource Finder, www.masslrf.org, to see if you are eligible for this type of help. In most cases, you can only get help from a legal aid program if you are low income or age 60 or older.
- Court Service Centers: Several court houses in Massachusetts have Court Service Centers. If you have a case in one of these courts, you can get legal information and help filling out court forms from the Court Service Center. There is a list of Court Service Centers on the court’s website, www.mass.gov/courts/court-info/court-management/plan-initiatives/court-service-centers.html The Court Service Centers do not have income restrictions.
- Lawyer for the Day Programs: Depending on your income, legal problem, and what court your case is in, there may be a Lawyer for the Day program that can help. Lawyer for the Day programs can help you fill out court forms and give you basic legal information and advice about your case. Use the Massachusetts Legal Resource Finder, www.masslrf.org, to see if there is a Lawyer for the Day program near you.
Help with criminal law problems:
- Court Appointed Lawyer: If you are low income, you may be able to get a free or low cost lawyer appointed for you by the court. Go to court on your court date and ask for a lawyer. The court will look at your income and other resources to see if you qualify.
- Hire a laywer: If you cannot get a free lawyer, you may need to hire one. See the information above about hiring a lawyer.
Need help with food, clothing, shelter, medicine or other services?
Active-Duty Military/Veterans Legal Assistance
ABA Home Front
ABA Home Front provides legal information, resources, and a directory of legal programs for veterans, service members, and military families. Programs listed include military legal assistance offices, legal aid and pro bono organizations, lawyer referral and information services, and military-specific programs where available.
ABA Military Pro Bono Project
The ABA Military Pro Bono Project accepts case referrals from military attorneys on behalf of junior-enlisted, active-duty military personnel facing civil legal issues, and it works to place these cases with pro bono attorneys.
USDA Discrimination Financial Assistance Program (DFAP) Awards and Public Benefits
For farmers and ranchers who applied for and received a one-time, lump-sum award from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program (DFAP): This general information will help people who receive USDA DFAP awards understand the potential impact of such money on public benefits.