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Our Legal Services

In Which Types of Cases Do You Offer Legal Help?

The Legal Aid Society's attorneys only accept cases by court appointment, and are not hired directly by members of the public who need legal assistance. This means that we do not get involved in cases until a judge determines that an individual involved in a legal proceeding needs to be represented by a lawyer. As a result, the Legal Aid Society is not available for hire by the general public, including individuals who would like to file a lawsuit and defendants in civil cases who would like to have an attorney defend them.

When our attorneys are appointed by judges to represent individuals in legal proceedings, they generally represent people in the following types of cases:

  • Child Protection and Child Custody Cases: Our staff attorneys at the Jefferson County Family Courts in Birmingham and Bessemer serve children as guardians ad litem when those children do not otherwise have anyone to represent their interests.
  • Juvenile Delinquency Cases: Our attorneys also serve as defense counsel in Birmingham and Bessemer courts when delinquency cases have been brought against juveniles.
  • Municipal Court Cases Against Indigent Defendants: The Legal Aid Society's municipal court attorneys represent indigent adult defendants in the Tarrant Municipal Court.
  • Drug Court Cases: Our staff attorneys also represent adult defendants in Jefferson County Drug Court who participate in rehabilitation services.

What Other Organizations Offer Legal Help?

Volunteer Lawyers Birmingham serves low-income clients by utilizing legal Help Desks in Birmingham, and manages a pro bono representation program for clients whose issues cannot be solved in a one-time Help Desk engagement. Their legal services focus on four tenets: Safe Families, Safe Housing, Safe Finances, and Serving Veterans.
Legal Services Alabama is a non-profit law firm providing free civil legal assistance to low-income Alabamians who cannot pay for a lawyer. They only handle civil cases, and only for people whose income is not more than 125% of the federal poverty level. They have offices in Anniston, Birmingham, Dothan, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Selma, and Tuscaloosa.
The Alabama State Bar Association offers a Lawyer Referral Service, which is a program designed to assist the public in locating an attorney who can be retained to assist with their general legal needs. Attorneys who participate in the Referrel Service agree to charge not more than $50 for an initial 30 minute consultation, and then negotiate a fee after the consultation.
Working with the Alabama Department of Senior Services, the United Way Area Agency on Aging (UWAAA) of Jefferson County provides services focused on the needs of elderly persons. The UWAAA distributes funds for the provision of services, and has a number of programs available to senior citizens, people with disabilities, and caregivers.
The Birmingham Bar Association's Lawyer Referral Service is a public service that connects citizens with pre-screened and experienced attorneys free of charge (the participating attorneys do charge for their services). During the initial consultation, you will discuss legal fees required to handle your matter, but there is no obligation on your part to retain a particular lawyer.

How Does Legal Aid Society Benefit the Community?

We Benefit People in Need

Children removed from abusive homes, caught in the middle of a custody battle, or accused of crimes, and adults facing potential jail sentences, frequently have no means to secure legal representation. By providing these individuals with attorneys to guide and advise them through the legal system, the legal rights of these persons are protected.

We Benefit the Court System

By providing an attorney who is physically present in the courtroom and who has expertise in the legal issues that regularly arise in that particular court, judges may utilize Legal Aid as an alternative to identifying, training, and appointing private counsel for those persons legally entitled to free representation.

We Benefit the Legal Community

Although many lawyers in private practice regularly accept appointment to some indigent cases as their professional obligation, in some courts there are not a sufficient number of these attorneys to provide legal representation for the large numbers of indigent persons requiring appointed counsel. The availability of Legal Aid lawyers to handle these cases insures that all citizens who are eligible for free representation have access to a lawyer.

We Benefit Taxpayers

Legal Aid can provide legal services at a rate substantially below the hourly rates of members of the private bar for several key reasons: the accessibility of its lawyers, who are always present during the day-to-day operations of the court, the familiarity of those lawyers with the issues, procedure, and personnel of those courts, the capability of its lawyers to handle individual cases without regard to hourly billing and business profits, and the commitment of these lawyers to quality legal representation for the poor.