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Legal Help for Virginians

Virginia Lawyer Referral Service

The Virginia Lawyer Referral Service will connect clients to a lawyer in their area for $35. They receive a consultation of up to a half hour with him or her – no strings attached.

Virginia Free Legal Answers

VFLA is a virtual legal advice clinic in which qualifying users post civil legal question to be answered by pro bono attorneys licensed in their state.

Legal Assistance Programs

Civil Legal Aid Programs

You may call 1-866-LEGLAID (1-866-534-5243) to reach your local legal aid office.

Independent Legal Service Providers

  • Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance

    (800) 838-8238, is a toll-free helpline offering legal and other assistance to survivors of sexual assault, intimate partner violence, dating violence, and stalking. On-staff advocates provide safety planning, emotional support, crisis intervention, and other resources to survivors. On-staff attorneys provide free and confidential legal advice and referrals. These services are available to survivors throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.

  • CAIR Coalition

    (Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights) provides legal assistance for detained immigrants – adults and children – in the D.C. metropolitan area as well as training and support for immigrant advocacy groups and service providers.

  • CancerLINC

    eases the burden of cancer for patients and their families by providing education, assistance and referral to legal, financial and community resources. CancerLINC serves cancer patients across Central Virginia, including any patient receiving treatment through a Richmond-area cancer care group or facility.

  • Chesapeake Legal Alliance

    attorneys serve as the “Lawyers for the Bay.” The mission of CLA is to apply the power of the law to protect and restore clean water and promote healthy, resilient ecosystems for communities across the Chesapeake Bay watershed. We meet our mission by providing free resources and legal support to community members and organizations in Virginia

  • Community Tax Law Project

    provides free legal help to low-wage families and individuals with tax issues. You may obtain more information about these services at the CTLP website or calling 804.358.5855.

  • Drive to Work

    provides assistance to low-income or previously incarcerated persons to restore their driving privileges so they can drive to work and keep a job.

  • Fairfax Law Foundation

    (Northern Virginia Pro Bono Law Center) conducts direct intake for low-income residents of Fairfax County only in contested family law matters and non-profit organizations in Northern Virginia needing legal assistance.

  • Good Samaritan Advocates

    is a faith-based legal aid organization providing no-cost legal assistance to low-income individuals in the greater Washington, DC area.

  • Whitman-Walker Health

    provides free legal services to its clients, people living with HIV/AIDS, and members of the LGBT community with public benefits, immigration, wills/powers of attorney/healthcare directives, and debt collection matters.

  • Hogar Immigrant Services

    offers immigration legal assistance at a reduced rate to those who could not afford it otherwise. Hogar also hosts Naturalization Workshops every month. At each workshop, members of the Hogar Legal team, as well as trained attorney and non-attorney volunteers, are on hand to assist eligible legal permanent residents (LPRs) in completing naturalization applications.

  • Just Neighbors

    provides immigration legal services to low-income immigrants in the northern Virginia area. Clients must make 200% or less of federal poverty guidelines and must live in northern Virginia to qualify for services. Just Neighbors has a special emphasis on humanitarian-based immigration cases and does not take: removal/deportation cases, asylum cases, family-based petitions.

Self-Help Services

  • Free Online Bankruptcy Evaluation Tool

    A new, free statewide resource created by the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society with a grant from Legal Services Corporation is designed for those Virginians whose debts have piled up and become seemingly insurmountable, particularly low-wage workers and people living in poverty during the COVID-19 health crisis.

  • VA Law Help 2 Go

    A mobile-friendly platform that provides legal information in video format to the public. It allows users to select the desired legal content via SMS text messaging and view a brief, informational videos (in English or Spanish) optimized for mobile devices. These videos provide information about common topics in the area of family, consumer, and housing law. A link at the end of each video directs the viewer to the Virginia statewide website for more information and to connect them with the appropriate legal aid provider in their area.

  • Virginia Judicial System Self-Help Website

    This website provides legal information in areas of the law commonly sought by self-represented persons, such as family law, traffic matters, landlord-tenant law, small claims, probate, protective orders, and guardianship and conservatorship.

  • Virginia’s Judicial System - For Citizens

    This website provides information about Virginia courts, including their locations and contact information, how to request an accommodation if you have a disability, as well as other useful information about Virginia courts.

Virginia Indigent Defense Commission

The Indigent Defense Commission provides criminal defense representation for indigent clients. There are 32 public defender/capital defender offices statewide and the agency also provides certification and training for court-appointed attorneys.

Virginia Veterans' Legal Aid Programs

  • American Bar Association Home Front Directory

    is a list of free and low-cost legal service programs available to assist veterans, service members and their families.

  • Armed Forces Legal Assistance

    The military provides free legal assistance to service members on a variety of civil matters including trusts and estates, bankruptcy, and consumer matters. Legal assistance attorneys usually cannot represent you in court.

  • Mason Veterans and Service members Legal Clinic (M-VETS)

    Located at George Mason University in Northern Virginia, M-VETS provides free representation to service members, veterans and dependent family members in family and civil matters, discharge upgrades, and pension/dependency and indemnity compensation. Additionally, M-VETS assists service members with PEB/MEB/Medical Discharge Assistance, Record Corrections, and Military Pay Entitlements. You may obtain more information about these services at the M-VETS website or by calling 703.993.8214.

  • Attorney General Legal Clinic

    The Virginia Attorney General, in partnership with the Department of Veterans Services and the Virginia State Bar, provides free, simple estate planning services to low income veterans and their partners and spouses. These clinics are held at areas around the state and offer simple wills, advance medical directives and powers of attorney. You may access their website to find additional information and to fill out an application.

  • The Lewis B. Puller Jr. Veterans Benefits Clinic

    Located at William & Mary Law School, the Puller Clinic assists disabled veterans in obtaining the disability compensation and medical benefits to which veterans are entitled. The services offered at the Puller Clinic are free. To apply for services, please download, complete, and return the Application Form to [email protected], or via fax to 757.221.3131, or mail it to The Lewis B. Puller, Jr. Veterans Benefits Clinic, William & Mary Law School, PO Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795.

  • Virginia Veterans Dockets

    The Virginia Supreme Court adopted a Rule of Court to allow jurisdictions around Virginia to create Veterans Dockets for criminal defendants who are veterans of the armed services and have substance dependency or mental illness. Defendants who are eligible for these dockets will be offered treatment and specialized services for veterans.

Access to Justice Pamphlet

access to justice booklet cover image 

Free and Low Cost Legal Resources in Virginia

A guide for helping low- and modest-income Virginians obtain legal services.

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