Agencies help those who can’t afford attorney
Agencies help those who can’t afford attorney
The Arizona Foundation for Legal Services Education has programs aimed at helping those who cannot afford or choose not to hire an attorney.
“(Modest Means) gives them an hour meeting with an attorney, for a fee, for legal advice or to help them fill out paperwork, to answer questions, draft a letter, etc.,” said Leslie Ross, the foundation’s public legal information manager.
The foundation’s statewide legal services call center refers callers to available resources for legal assistance. It can be reached at 866 637 5341.
“A lot more people qualify for legal aid than ever did before,” Ross said.
Phoenix bankruptcy attorney Diane Drain said the legal waters are treacherous if people haven’t first done their homework. She is the founder and director of the Bankruptcy Self Help Center.cheap nfl jerseys
Filing bankruptcy is a “very, very complicated process and if you do it wrong, not only do you end up in federal prison, but it’s a $250,000 fine and you don’t get the protection that you thought you were going to get from the Bankruptcy Court,” she said. Bankruptcy Court of Arizona, is operated by court staff and volunteers.
“The judges, clerks, court staff, trustees and attorneys involved saw a need for there to be some kind of an education program and access . . . to competent counsel,” Drain said. “If they (filers) don’t know how the system works, they clog the system up, which then harms every other person there.”
In southeastern Arizona, Southern Arizona Legal Aid provides legal assistance to low income residents in nine counties.
“We’ve adopted alternatives to full representation just because of the number of people who have come to us,” said Anthony Young, executive director. “People are having more legal problems because of the economic downturn.”
Services include attorneys making limited court appearances in clients’ domestic relations cases and helping clients fill out paperwork to initiate civil action, he said.