An In-Depth Look at Church-Based Legal Aid
Church-based legal aid encompasses a network of services that aim to provide legal assistance to individuals in need. The role of churches in this provision can be both direct and indirect. Churches themselves may not directly provide legal services , but they play an integral role by either hosting legal clinics or connecting those in need with legal resources in the area. The motivation behind such services is rooted in the mission of many religious organizations to help those in need. For many churches and religious groups, aiding the less fortunate in their community, including those in need of legal representation, is a key aspect of their role in society.
Various Kinds of Legal Aid Provided through Churches
Churches can extend a variety of legal assistance to their members for topics such as legal fees, finding a pro bono lawyer or holding free legal clinics.
Mid-Level or Specific Support on Legal Fees
If your church has a fair amount of cash flow, it may offer support on a case-by-case basis for legal fees. As with all financial aid offered by a church, make sure you have some understanding of how the decision is made regarding who gets financial help and how much they receive. If your church’s support is more along the lines of a specific amount for legal assistance each month, you may need to ask the pastor for help with a pre-screening on your situation. It may be required that your case be related in some way to the church in order to receive legal fee assistance.
Finding a Pro Bono Lawyer
Some churches offer volunteer lawyers to help their church members with legal issues. Your church may have a relationship with a local legal aid group that trains and provides legal assistance to some of the church’s members. Ask the pastor if there is a list of volunteer lawyers in the church that are willing to assist members with their legal issues.
Free Legal Clinics
A relatively common assistance offered by churches is a free legal clinic held on the church’s behalf by its members. The clinic provides limited legal assistance for only certain types of issues. Some clinics will hold a sign-up sheet prior to a specific day, while others will allow walk-ins. Unfortunately, clinics are not intended for criminal cases.
Locating a Church that Offers Assistance with Legal Fees
Locating churches that will assist with legal fees can be done in a variety of ways. The internet has made this process much easier, and a simple search will provide a list of local religious organizations. Be sure to thoroughly research each organization on this list to determine if it is truly a group that can help with these fees.
Alternatively, many community centers, community colleges, and universities have message boards or online resources that pertain to legal assistance from local churches. Visit some of these centers and take note of the postings to see if there’s an organization that may be able to help.
In addition, all churches should have a bulletin board that lists local events, as well as bulletin boards dedicated to various community service announcements. These are excellent places to look for legal fee assistance programs. Churches also hold events on a regular basis, and it’s likely that legal assistance programs will be mentioned in the flyers or pamphlets that are available for such events.
Requirements for Legal Fees Assistance
While eligibility criteria for legal fee assistance can vary from one church to another, there are some common factors that many consider when evaluating requests for financial support. When seeking legal fee assistance, applicants should be prepared to answer questions about their financial situation, residency status, and the specific nature of their legal matters. Financial Need: Most churches that offer financial assistance will have a basic requirement of demonstrated financial need. This may include providing recent tax returns, bank statements, and other documentation of income and expenses. Some churches may set specific income thresholds or consider the overall financial situation of the applicant family, including the number of dependents. Generally, however, demonstrating an inability to pay for legal fees is a fundamental prerequisite for obtaining financial assistance. Many of the churches helping with legal fees require the requests to be made on a form entitled "Legal Aid Application . " The form generally asks for significant information about finances, e.g., monthly take home pay, monthly expenses, net worth and a history of the legal issues; so be sure to provide adequate time for completing the form. Residency Requirements: Some churches may require that applicants are members of the congregation, or at least regular attendees. Alternatively, requirements sometimes include being a resident of either the church’s immediate community or the city in which it is located. Type of Legal Matter: Some churches may specify the types of cases for which they offer financial assistance, such as immigration matters, family law issues, or representation for undocumented persons. In some cases, churches may deny assistance based on the merits of the case. It is best to be clear why the representation was sought and how the circumstances justify the request for legal representation, in addition to the nature of the relief sought.
Testimonials and Success Stories
To shed light on the effectiveness of these church fee assistance programs, let us examine testimonials and success stories from individuals who have successfully secured their legal fees with the help of churches:
Sarah, a former client of Anderson, Anderson & Steinberg, was facing a particularly nasty divorce from her now ex-husband. He was an executive at a Fortune 500 company making six figures. She was a stay-at-home mom to their twin daughters. Sarah quickly realized she would need a reputable attorney to help represent her interests as her goal was to convince the court to award her primary custody of their daughters. However, it was going to be difficult for her to afford a lawyer as she had stepped away from her career to raise her daughters and her ex felt she did not need much more than a minimal amount of money to live when they were separated. Sarah approached her local church who was running a fees assistance program. She was paired with a former member of their church who was a practicing family law attorney. He donated his time and was able to secure the results she wanted. Sarah still tuned into her former church’s services when she could. With the help of her church, Sarah was able to secure an attorney and ultimately primary custody of her daughters.
The Hill family were members of Landmark Church, a large African American congregation based in Jackson, Mississippi. They had a single child, a three year old boy named Elijah. He was an inquisitive child who loved interacting with everyone. One day he went next door to visit their neighbors, the Johnsons who were having a cookout. Mr. Johnson was teaching his two daughters how to grill fresh chicken wings while Mrs. Johnson watched from the patio with a pitcher of sweet tea nearby. Instead of grilling chicken on a conventional barbeque grill, the Johnson had a large flat grill that was heated with a flame underneath the surface. Mr. Johnson added a base layer of oil to the surface of the grill before putting the chicken on and flavored the chicken with spices as he grilled them. Elijah watched intently as the chicken cooked and was allowed to sample a wing or two even as he kept asking for another. Unfortunately, he was so focused on the cooking that he did not see Mr. Johnson’s teenage son racing his friends to the grill. He tried to run past Mr. Johnson at the last moment and instead knocked Elijah directly on the chest, knocking him backwards and causing him to fall on top of the grill. Elijah cried out in pain and the Johnsons quickly turned off the grill. Elijah was burned across his chest. This was not immediately visible because soccer was being played on the lawn out of view of the grill. The only injury that was seen initially was the pain. Later that night, his parents discovered the burn and called for an ambulance. At the ER, they were told that Elijah’s injury was serious and that he would need to be sent to the burn center at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. When they arrived, they learned that Elijah’s injuries were extensive and painful. He would need to take strong pain medication to help reduce the level of pain. Their insurance was not sufficient to cover the total cost they needed. They were concerned about how the medical bills would be paid. Reverend Smiths who pastored the Hill family’s church let them know that the church had a fee assistance program to help members who could not afford to pay their legal bills. They made an appointment and met with Mr. Anderson who reviewed the case and agreed to take it. They were able to make arrangements for the Hill family to pay their bills as needed as the charges were high.
After getting off a public bus, eighteen year old Jay Siler entered a restaurant/pub to wait for his appointment. A few minutes later, he was following the restaurant’s manager to the back of the building when a man attacked him. The man wanted Jay to give him money but Jay refused. He was scared and when the man showed him a gun, Jay started to run. As he exited the building, he tripped in the parking lot and the attacker caught up to him. He refused to let Jay leave so Jay finally handed over a few dollars. The robber then hit Jay several times and began to choke him. Fortunately, the security guard for the shopping plaza, Sam Anderson, ran out to help Jay. Sam was able to pull the man off of Jay and Jay was able to escape. Sam Anderson worked for Schmidt Security and International Protection and had been a bodyguard for celebrities earlier in his career. When the police arrived, they arrested the robber. Thankfully, Jay did not suffer any serious injuries from the attack. Sadly, he was charged with theft in the second degree because his employer found out he handed over his boss’s money. Sam Anderson hired Mr. Steinberg to represent Jay pro bono. Mr. Steinberg got the charge against Jay dismissed in exchange for a promise by Jay to attend classes on making good decisions.
More Information about Legal Fees Assistance
Many churches provide legal fee assistance in addition to direct aid to their communities. Besides churches, there are other organizations that can assist with legal fees based on need and case type. For instance, legal aid societies may be able to offer pro bono services or provide referrals to pro bono attorneys. Some newer pro bono organizations, such as LawBox and Paladin, connect lawyers with individuals who need specific legal guidance.
Nonprofit organizations also sometimes help with legal fee assistance . These groups include the Center for Social Justice, which works with low-income people in various areas such as housing and family law, and People’s Parity, which seeks to provide low-income clients with affordable legal representation and help law students develop as progressive lawyers.
In some cases, you may be eligible for legal fee assistance from government organizations. Welfare offices in your state may offer the resources or personnel to help you with certain legal problems, or state bar associations may make scholarships available to people in need of assistance. Other government entities likely provide legal aid services that are unique to your location.