PALawHELP.org provides information and a guide to free and low cost legal help to low and moderate income persons and seniors in Pennsylvania.

What kind of information is in PALawHELP.org?
PALawHELP.org provides:

• Information on free legal aid programs and other legal service providers
• Information about your legal rights
• Legal education and self help information
• Information about and links to social services and government agencies

Why was PALawHELP.org created?
PALawHELP.org was created to increase access to justice by providing information to the public about legal issues they face and by providing a place where legal service providers can be found for those who are unable to pay attorney fees but are in need of legal assistance.

What is on the PALawHELP.org Home Page?
The PALawHELP.org home page contains your gateway to legal information and legal referrals. PALawHELP.org is part of a national network of statewide web sites proving this information across the country.

What areas of the law are covered in PALawHELP.org?
PALawHELP.org provides information in the following legal subject areas:

• Consumer
• Children and Families
• Disability
• Education
• Elder Law
• Employment  
• Health Law
• Housing and Shelter
• Immigration
• Migrant Issues
• Public Benefits
• Veterans and Military

How do I use the Legal Aid Providers link on the Home Page?
The Legal Aid Providers link supplies information on legal service offices in Pennsylvania listed alphabetically by name.

The By Office Location tab in the directory provides a list of legal service offices located in each county of Pennsylvania. Select your county from the drop-down list and see a list of legal service providers with offices in the county.

The By County Served tab provides a list of legal service providers that serve the residents of the county. This includes providers that are available to serve people living in the county even if they don’t have an office physically located in the county.

How do I find the legal information I need in PALawHELP.org?
The PALawHELP.org homepage features an easy-to-use icon menu that allows users to find relevant information quickly and easily.

Clicking on one of the main topics listed on the PALawHELP.org home page takes you to a list of sub-topics that contain legal information.

Clicking on a listed sub-topic generates a list of the legal information resources available for that sub-topic.

What kind of information is provided in PALawHELP.org?
This information provided includes online resources where you can file applications or get forms and information resources from a large variety of reliable sources.

Information resources listed are sorted into groups by the type of organization providing the information. These include information from the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, Government Agencies, Bar Associations and other legal organizations, and other private organizations.

Information provided contains all resources that are available in Pennsylvania. You may also filter the legal information received to get only information relevant to where you live. This can be done at any time by clicking the Choose Another Location link on the right side of the page and selecting your location by city or town, county or zip code.
 
What information do the Find Legal Assistance and Court Information tabs provide?
The page containing the list of legal information resources also features a Find Legal Assistance tab and a Court Information tab at the top of the list.

These tabs present information about legal assistance providers available where you live or information about the courts serving your location. The legal assistance and court information provided relates specifically to the legal subtopic you previously selected.

Clicking on one of these tabs brings up a screen where you can identify your location by city or town, county or zip code.

If you had originally selected the Find Legal Assistance tab you will be presented with a list of legal assistance providers that serve your location. There will also be a link to information about the lawyer referral service that serves your location

Clicking on the name of a legal service provider on the list yields a detailed profile of the provider selected. This includes contact information, eligibility requirements, languages spoken and the types of service available from the provider.

If you selected the Court Information tab you will be presented with a list of the courts that serve your location. This list contains active links to the court web sites where you can get detailed information about the operation of the courts.

A Glossary of Legal Terms is available from the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts. The Glossary is available at the link below.

Glossary of Legal Terms (Pennsylvania Courts)

Another list of Commonly Used Terms is available from the Federal Judiciary website at the link below:

Commonly Used Terms (Federal Judiciary)

There are several different ways in which an organization can provide help:

Full Representation:  Representation by a lawyer or a legal advocate in a legal matter, including appearances in court or at a hearing.

Brief Advice:  Immediate advice provided in person or over the telephone.

Pro Se Legal Clinic:  Advice and instruction from a legal advocate in a specified area of the law typically provided to a group in a clinic setting.

Self-Help Materials:  Provision of materials designed to assist an individual in preparing legal documents necessary to represent themself in court.

Some organizations have income guidelines that you must meet to receive assistance.  If you have an income higher than the income guidelines, you may not qualify for assistance.  Income guidelines usually appear as a percentage of the federal poverty guidelines or as an income amount (example: $18,000/year).  A personal asset may also affect whether you qualify for assistance.  PALawHELP.org does not guarantee that you will be able to receive assistance from an organization even if you meet its income guidelines.

The chart below shows the income guidelines most often used by legal services organizations, 125% to 200% of the federal poverty level.  The amounts listed are rounded to the nearest dollar.  "Family size" is the total number of people in the household.

2012 Federal Poverty Guidelines