If you cannot afford a lawyer, you can get legal information and self-help tools from the Massachusetts statewide website MassLegalHelp.org. This website contains information for unrepresented people that is clear and easy to understand. You can learn about many of the most common civil legal problems, including divorce and family law, in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Russian, Haitian Creole and Chinese. This website can help you understand your situation better and help you take the necessary steps to solve your problem.
You can also get information from MassLegalServices.org. This website is intended for legal services advocates, but you may find it helpful, especially if you are going to a hearing on your own.
If you have a case in Middlesex County and are income eligible, you may be able to have the a volunteer lawyer review your paperwork or give you legal advice at the Lowell Lawyer for the Day program. You can access the calendar at lawyerforthedaylowell.org.
We do not offer free representation at Wright Family Law Group. Northeast Legal Aid (NLA) provides free civil legal services to low income and elderly residents of Essex County and Northern Middlesex County, Massachusetts. It provides these services together with its subsidiary, Northeast Justice Center (NJC).
Find Northeast Legal Aid on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Northeast.Legal.Aid
NLA and NJC are the result of the merger of two longstanding legal services programs -Neighborhood Legal Services (Lynn) and Merrimack Valley – North Shore Legal Services.
Intake Notes:
Call between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, apply online at any time.
Intake Phone Number: 978-458-1465 Toll Free: 1-800-336-2262
Complete the Online Intake:
https://northeastlegalaid.wufoo.com/forms/x7vyx3q1mhit3u/
Yes! The Lawyer for the Day Program is a legal assistance program that has volunteer lawyers at some courthouses to help low-moderate income litigants fill out court forms and provide basic legal advice. They volunteer lawyers can help you understand relevant laws and your rights, can equip you to better represent yourself in court, but they do not go with you into the courtroom.
Lawyer for the Day programs help people on any side of the case and each program has its own rules. For example:
- Some only serve people with low income.
- Some require you to make an appointment before you come to court
- Some are on a first come first serve basis.
There is no guarantee that you will get to meet with a lawyer, and there may not be a lawyer at the program every day. Lawyers are volunteering their time, and sometimes they might not be available on the day that the program is open. Check with your family and probate court to make sure the Lawyer for the Day program will be open on the day that you will be in court.
The Women’s Bar Foundation of Massachusetts established the Family Law Project for Domestic Abuse Survivors in 1995. The Project is designed to empower domestic violence survivors by giving them a voice in their abuse prevention hearings and family law cases. This unique project seeks to prevent further abuse, homelessness, loss of child custody, and to decrease repeated court hearings.
If you are in need of legal representation free legal representation and are the victim of domestic violence by your partner or spouse, Click here to fill out our online intake form or call the Women’s Bar Foundation intake line at 617-973-6666 x2216.