Eligibility Guidelines
Access Justice’s goal is to serve low- and moderate-income people who not only can’t get pro bono (free) legal services, but who also can’t afford the high fees of most lawyers (ranging from $200 to $800 per hour or more!). Currently, we are giving priority to clients whose family income is between 125% and 300% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG). See the tables below for more information. Access Justice will also consider providing you with legal services in special cases where legal services are unavailable, even though you fall below 125% or above 300% of the FPG. Access Justice will also take into account a person’s or family’s assets in determining eligibility.
Whenever possible (if funding permits), we intend to provide free legal services wherever possible to those whose incomes are no more than 250% of the FPG; and reduced rate services (fixed fee or sliding scale rates of $1 to $99 per hour) to those falling between 250% and 300% of the FPG. For those unserved individuals who earn between 300%-350% of the FPG, Access Justice will provide legal services on a low bono basis in certain situations where the legal issues at stake could have devastating consequences without professional legal representation, such as foreclosure, eviction, or bankruptcy.
If you can find yourself on the tables below, you are likely to be eligible for our services. In any event, you must fill out and submit an Eligibility Form and a Request for Legal Services Form before we will actually represent you. In determining eligibility, AJ will calculate deductions from your income for expenses that are out of the ordinary (e.g. child or spousal support, medical expenses, etc.). For example:
You are in an average family of 4 people, and both you and your spouse work. Both of you make about $3,000 a month, but one of your children has been sick often this year, and your medical expenses have been about $750 a month. The table says that, at $6,000 a month, you make more than 300% of the federal poverty level. However, subtracting your medical expenses brings your family income down to $5,250 a month—less than the $5,588 on the table, so you would be financially eligible for AJ legal services.
Access Justice Guidelines
Based on the 2014 Federal Poverty Guidelines
Source: http://news.leavitt.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/2014-Federal-Poverty-Levels.pdf
Nonprofit Organization or Small Business
If you are seeking legal services in relation to an issue involving a nonprofit group or organization or a small business, the nonprofit organization or group itself must be a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization and the owner of the small business must be able to qualify individually as a client of Access Justice.
Application process:
At Access Justice, we know how difficult it can be to apply for any kind of low cost or free services, so our process is extremely streamlined. In order to find out if you qualify for legal assistance from AJ, all you need do is fill out the short Eligibility Form. Please submit this Eligibility Form and the Request for Legal Services Form, in order to qualify for legal assistance.
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