There are a lot of reasons that the single mom might find herself needing legal advice or even legal representation. Lawyers are expensive, but sometimes there possibility of representing yourself isn’t an option, even with all of the available resources online that offer information about your particular situation.
A little known resource that can help when you need legal assistance is a law school. Depending on what state you live in, students who are studying law can volunteer for programs to help people who need legal advice.
Regulations vary from state to state on what is required for a person to practice law. This will have a lot to do with what kind of legal services a law school in your state will be able to provide. But, if you’re lucky enough to live in a state that is able to let law students give free advice, it’s certainly worth looking into.
Go to the website of the law school in your area to see what low cost or even free legal services that they are able to provide. Some schools will only provide the services to residents who meet certain guidelines of income, age or other special requirements.
While some schools can help you with paperwork and court filings, others can only point you in the direction that you need to go. When you need help with your legal problems, though, any assistance will be welcome.
If you receive child support, rent a home or are having financial problems that may cause you problems down the road, it never hurts to familiarize yourself with your rights and responsibilities under the law.
Some states allow students of the law to hold legal aid clinics. These are usually publicized in advance. Contact the law school and ask if they have a mailing list so that you can be notified of these one day legal clinics. Understandably, your legal crisis may not coincide with the scheduled clinic, but there are some areas of the law that you may want to become acquainted with because of future need.
Other legal aid clinics aren’t so specialized. The people who attend the legal aid clinics are able to bring their problems and questions to the volunteers no matter what area the problem stem from. In many cases, if the students who have volunteered their services at these clinics are unable to help you, they can help you find free or low cost legal assistance from other sources.
If you live in an area that doesn’t have a law school, contact the community college. They often sponsor one day clinics for the benefit of the community. They make the arrangements for the volunteers to come to their campus and conduct their services there. The school will usually charge a registration fee for these clinics, but may offer a school credit to those who attend.
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