I don’t have much money, but I need help from a lawyer. How do I know if Iqualify to receive free legal help?

Life circumstances dictate that all of us will encounter the legal system at some point.This is not a problem if you have the money to hire a lawyer to navigate the legal system.But when many low-income individualslook to options for free legal representation, they are often disappointed to find out that they may not qualify for assistance.

Most organizations that provide free legal assistance follow income guidelines that typically use a percentage of the federal poverty income amount to determine whether an individual or family is eligible for free legal services. Many organizations that provide free legal services require that the household of the person seeking the services earns less than 125% of the annual income of the federal government’s definition of the poverty level.

For example, under federal poverty guidelines, 125% of the annual income for a household of two is approximately $17,000. For a household of four, 125% of the annual income amount is approximately $26,000. If the person seeking free legal assistance comes from a household wherethe incomeis at or below this amount, he or she might be eligible for assistance.If they are above this threshold, strained resources of the organizations providing the free legal services usually dictate that no free legal servicesare available.

There are some variations to this industry standard, so don’t give up if youdo not qualify initially.One exception is that organizations that provide legal assistance to crime victims can provide services to persons who have a household income of up to 187.5% of the federal poverty level.

Because the threshold to receive free legal services is so low, there are often people who are above the 125% federal poverty level cutoff but still do not have the money to retain an attorney to assist with basic legal problems. Read future “Common Law” columns for suggestions on other options for people who may fall into this category.

This article appears in March 21 • 2008.

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