On our website you will find legal information on self-handling in civil matters, where you will find little or no legal aid, judicial information and other reference information. Colorado Legal Services only assists with civil matters. If you reach certain income limits and qualify, you are not paying for help. Some CLS offices help people aged 60 and over, regardless of income, but only if your legal problem is one of CLS`s priorities and if financial and human resources are available. The appointment and confirmation of the LSC`s first board of trustees was delayed by inaction and opposition,[7] but by July 1975, President Gerald R. Ford had appointed the first board and the Senate had approved it, with Cornell University Law School Dean Roger Conant Cramton as its first president. [7] Bill Janklow, a lawyer and prosector of South Dakota Legal Services, was another member of the original board of directors. [11] Thomas Ehrlich, then dean of Stanford Law School, became the first president of the LSC. As part of a comprehensive « welfare reform » of federal welfare laws that began in 1996, including the Personal Responsibility and Employment Opportunity Act, Congress imposed restrictions on the types of work LSC grantees could participate in legal aid organizations. For example, LSC-funded organizations would no longer be able to act as lawyers in class action lawsuits[40] that challenge the way public services are managed.

In addition, LSC fellows have faced stricter restrictions on the representation of immigrants, especially those who are in the country illegally. [40] In 2001, however, the social assistance restriction was implemented in Legal Services Corp. v. Velazquez declared unconstitutional. Johnson`s vision of the Great Society founded the OPA. Building on the work of a 1964 essay by Edgar Cahn and Jean Camper Cahn, « The War on Poverty: A Civilian Perspective, » OPO budgeted $1 million per year[6] in 1965 to create and fund 269 local legal advice programs across the country,[7] such as California Rural Legal Assistance,[7] which made a name for itself. prosecuting local officials and sometimes stoking resentment against their federal funding. [7] Jean Cahn was the first Director of the OPA`s National Legal Services Program. [8] However, organizations not funded by LSC are not subject to these restrictions, prompting the legal services community to take a two-pronged approach: a restricted LSC lawyer, who accepts individual clients but does not participate in class actions, and unrestricted legal counsel (using private donor funds) who assumes individuals and participates in otherwise limited litigation.

Advocates of poverty in both fields always work together where they can, making sure they do not violate LSC restrictions. In most cases, CLS is required to follow federal poverty guidelines (available here) to determine financial eligibility, but in some cases, eligibility criteria may vary, for example, if you are 60 years of age or older, or depending on the legal issue (e.g., if you are a victim of family violence). It would be helpful if you could contact CLS so that CLS can accurately determine your eligibility for services. In November 1981, the Reagan administration, still hoping to eliminate LSC, decided to replace the eleven members of LSC`s board of directors with their own appointments. [32] In turn, the LSC began setting up « mirror societies » to circumvent congressional restrictions and reuse funds for political advocacy. [29] The proposed new president was Ronald Zumbrun, president of the ideologically opposed Pacific Legal Foundation,[32] who had previously defended the state of California against several mutual legal assistance lawsuits. [32] For fiscal year 1982, LSC`s budget was reduced by 25% to $241 million,[21] with new rules prohibiting most class actions and lobbying. [21] Zumbrun`s appointment was so controversial that the Reagan administration abandoned it in January 1982 and suspended William J. A paralegal or lawyer employed in one of our offices can help you, and/or a lawyer who takes cases from us and works for free can help you.