VLS offers no-cost legal advice through licensed attorney volunteers.
VLS can help you with civil legal matters. These include: consumer issues, employment, family, housing, landlord-tenant, bankruptcy, expunctions and non-disclosures, probate, real property, and wills.
Unfortunately, VLS is unable to provide legal aid on any matters other than civil issues. We cannot help with criminal, immigration, or civil rights matters.
Legal advice refers to information provided by an attorney to help you understand more about your specific legal issue. When you receive legal advice from a VLS volunteer attorney, they are offering their professional opinion and expertise on how you might move forward. Community members who attend a VLS legal clinic leave with a better understanding of court orders, potential strategies, and next steps.
Legal representation describes an instance in which an attorney-client relationship is formed. The attorney who is handling your case will file documents, schedule court dates, deliver arguments, and more. Only a limited number of applicants are eligible to have their cases reviewed for additional legal services. VLS can only provide direct legal representation to those who meet our eligibility guidelines.
Factors such as household income, assets, service area, legal matters, and agency capacity will determine which individuals receive advice, as well as which cases will be reviewed for further legal services.
We encourage all community members to apply, but please know that we may not be able to advise you. You can contact us with any questions about the application process.