Additional Resources
| Phone Info/Advice | Legal Advocacy and Resource Center (LARC) |
(617)371-1234 (617)603-1700 |
9am-12pm M-F
1:30-3pm M-F (not Tu) |
Phone info/advice, pro se help, referrals for civil law issues (housing, family, employment, consumer, public benefits, health, estate planning, bankruptcy). |
| MA Bar Dial-a-Lawyer | 617-338-0610 |
5:30-7:30pm | On 1st Wed. of month, lawyers answer basic legal questions and provide brief advice | |
| Private Lawyer Referral |
National Lawyer’s Guild | 617-227-7008 |
9am-4pm |
Referrals to private attorneys in most areas (including criminal, civil rights, disability, domestic, and employment). 30-min. phone consultations for $15. |
| Boston Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service | 617-742-0625 | 9am-5:30pm M-F |
Referrals to private attorneys for all types of cases. Income eligible callers get reduced fee referrals ($0-$25 for 1st 30-min. consultation). | |
| Middlesex County Bar Assoc. | 617-494-4150 | |
Free self-help advice and referrals to private lawyers on any type of case. | |
| MA Bar Assoc. Lawyer Referral Panel |
617-654-0400
866-627-7577 |
9am-4:45pm M-F | Referrals to private attorneys for all types of cases, including contingency fee cases. Income eligible callers get reduced fee referrals (no more than $75/hr). No phone advice. | |
| Civil Legal Services | Greater Boston Legal Services | |
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Call LARC Representation/advice for family (custodial parents only, pro se divorce clinic), housing (evictions, pro se clinics, some subsidy and shelter issues), public benefits, wage and hour (immigrants only), immigration (political asylum, battered women, unaccompanied minors, language access issues), tax help. |
|
Cambridge and Somerville Legal Services
Elder Unit (Cambridge and Somerville only) |
617-603-2700
617-603-1776 |
|
Disability rights, special ed, benefits, housing (tenants only), elder issues (benefits, housing, nursing home, and protective services issues, guardianship defense, access to health care). Covers Cambridge, Somerville, Arlington, Belmont. Can also take cases with higher income limits. | |
| Community Legal Services and Counseling Center | 617-661-1010 | |
Housing (evictions and grievance hearings, pre-NTQ), SSI/SSDI, family (custodial parents or DV victims), immigration (political asylum, battered women, unaccompanied minors), provides mediation on sliding-scale fee basis. | |
| Volunteer Lawyers Project | Call LARC | |
Bankruptcy, consumer, family law (no DV emergencies), guardianship of adults, housing (landlords and tenants – tenant intake through LARC), employment, tort defense. | |
| Disability Law Center |
800-872-9992
617-227-9464 |
9am-5pm | Info/advice/referral/representation for disability-related civil legal issues (persons with disabilities only, no income limit). | |
| Tenant Advocacy Project (TAP) | 617-495-4394 | 9:30am-2:30pm | Denial/termination of public/subsidized housing, Section 8 termination, housing authority grievance hearings. | |
| Hale & Dorr Legal Services Center | 617-390-2500 | |
Bankruptcy, government benefits, employment, evictions (tenants only, no BHA cases), family (custodial parents only), small business, predatory lending. | |
| Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee (CEOC) | 617-868-2900 | 9am-5pm | Non-legal advocacy for food stamps, MassHealth, and housing (pre-NTQ, informal conferences, negotiation). Income not mandated by funding. Serves Cambridge and surrounding areas. | |
| Criminal Matters/ Prisoner Issues | Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) | 617-482-6212 | |
Public defenders. |
| MA Correctional Legal Services |
800-882-1413
617-482-2773 |
|
Civil legal services for inmates. Accepts collect calls from MA prisoners on Mondays from 1-4pm on (617) 482-4124. | |
| Harvard Defenders | 617-495-4413 | |
Show-cause hearings. | |
| Prison Legal Assistance Project | 617-495-3127 | |
Legal services for inmates. | |
| General Info | Trial Court Law Libraries |
617-878-0339
800-445-8989 |
Librarians will assist with legal research. |
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OTHER USEFUL RESOURCES
Self-help
www.masslegalhelp.org
click “Get Basic Legal Information” Basic info about MA legal rights and pro se forms organized by topic, for most major practice areas (benefits, consumer, disability, DV, special ed, elder, housing, immigration)
Red book: Massachusetts Lawyers’ Diary Telephone numbers for Massachusetts courts
Out of Area www.masslegalservices.org
click “Directory” General legal services providers for all of Massachusetts. City name search, and clickable region-map.
Blue book: Directory of Legal Aid and Defender Offices Out of State service providers.
Non-legal services www.bostonresourcenet.org
Database of human services providers searchable by location and practice area (DV, counseling, shelters, etc.)
Yellow book: Human Service Referral Directory of MA
Small Claims Small Claims Advisory Service
http://hcs.harvard.edu/~scas/
(617) 497-5690 Public service organization run by Harvard undergraduates that provides free legal information regarding Mass small claims law and procedure (amounts less than $2000). Have offices at GBLS and in Chinatown as well.