The Common Law

Do you face a general legal issue that makes you want to learn more about your rights? Are you worried about the expense of contacting an attorney and whether you can afford help with general legal questions?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, it's important that you know about an innovative new program in Austin called LegalLine. The public is invited to call LegalLine for free legal advice to simple legal questions or referrals to the appropriate service or agency for further assistance. Best of all, calling LegalLine is absolutely free!

The LegalLine is open for calls on the first Tuesday of each month between 5:30pm and 7:30pm. Volunteer lawyers will be on hand to assist with general legal questions. The volunteer attorneys are community-minded lawyers who have chosen to volunteer their time to provide assistance with general legal questions (rather than charge their normal billable rate, which is often hundreds of dollars per hour).

The LegalLine program began this week by hosting its first two-hour phone session on Oct. 2. The next LegalLine session will be Tuesday, Nov. 6 (5:30-7:30pm). The LegalLine program is a public service sponsored by the Austin Young Lawyers Association (www.ayla.org) and the Lawyer Referral Service of Central Texas (www.austinlrs.com).

The law will impact your professional and personal life in a variety of ways, regardless of your personal or professional background. One of the main goals of "The Common Law" is to promote other community-based legal resources that can help provide guidance or answers to general, everyday legal issues. The new LegalLine program fits that description. In short, LegalLine is a wonderful community resource, and I highly recommend that LegalLine (472-8303) be taken advantage of by Central Texans with a need for general legal assistance.