Online and Hotline Legal Help
NOTE: Glossary words are highlighted. Click on any glossary word to see its definition.
What is online/hotline legal help?
Several organizations have free web sites and/or free phone or e-mail hotlines you can use to get help with non-criminal legal problems.
The legal help web sites have online self-help guides and other legal information for Massachusetts residents. On these web sites, you can learn about your legal rights regarding housing, employment, health care, public assistance, domestic violence, and other issues. You can also find legal forms that you can download from your computer.
The legal help hotlines give free legal information and advice by phone, and also give referrals to legal and social service agencies.
Massachusetts Legal Help - "Need legal information? We can help."
Web site link: MassLegalHelp.org
This web site has easy-to-understand information about legal rights for Massachusetts residents. Much of the information is available in both English and Spanish. Some of the legal help topics included on the site are:
- Public benefits: cash assistance (EAEDC, TAFDC) and food stamps
- Family Law: child support, divorce, and domestic violence
- Disability benefits: SSI, SSDI
- Elder law: nursing homes, health care, utility services, avoiding scams and fraud, and more
- Health care: MassHealth, Medicare, free care
- Housing: tenant rights, evictions, discrimination, public housing, Section 8, and more
Massachusetts Legal Help is a collaborative project of the Legal Services community of Massachusetts. Its mission is to improve access to justice for low income and disadvantaged persons by using the Internet.
Massachusetts Legal Services - Poverty Law Library
Web site link: MassLegalServices.org
This web site is primarily for use by service providers and other advocates for low and moderate-income residents of Massachusetts. However, anyone who needs detailed technical information about legal issues facing the poor, the elderly, and people with disabilities in Massachusetts may find it useful. Some of the features of this web site are:
- Advocacy alerts
- Court decisions and pending litigation
- Forms
- Training materials
- Links to government agencies and public service organizations
Massachusetts Legal Services is a collaborative project of the Legal Services community of Massachusetts. Its mission is to improve access to justice for low income and disadvantaged persons by using the Internet.
LiveJustice
Web site link: LiveJustice
LiveJustice provides free information and resources about housing issues in Massachusetts. It also provides free legal advice by e-mail for low-income and elderly residents of Massachusetts. The LiveJustice web site is a project of the Legal Assistance Corporation of Central Massachusetts (LACCM).
LiveJustice includes:
-
Get Help Now
This service allows low-income and elderly residents of Massachusetts to get free legal advice and information about their housing problems via e-mail. To use this service, you must:
- be a resident of Massachusetts
- be low-income or age 60 or older
- have an e-mail address
- complete an online intake form (You must provide your name, address, date of birth, household income, and other basic information about your household and your housing problem.)
For more information, see Am I eligible for services?
-
Legal Library
The Legal Library is a collection of questions and answers about landlord/tenant problems and other housing issues. A search tool allows you to search for answers to your specific problem. Anyone may use this information free of charge.
-
Resources and Links
The resources include legal forms and letters; and contact information for legal aid offices, housing authorities, courts, and shelters. The links connect you to other web sites with helpful information about housing, legal aid, rental assistance, and social services in Massachusetts. Anyone may access these resources and links free of charge.
Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries
Web site link: Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries
This web site is an extensive collection of resources from seventeen law libraries across Massachusetts. Some of the information is easy to understand, and some of it is more technical. The web site includes:
-
Ask a Librarian!
Ask a Librarian! lets you contact a law librarian to ask any question you may have about Massachusetts laws. You may contact a librarian in one of four ways: 1) live chat; 2) e-mail; 3) telephone; or 4) in person at one of the law library locations. The librarians cannot give you legal advice, but can look up legal information for you.
-
Massachusetts Laws by Subject
This section of the web site contains links to legal information about a wide variety of legal matters, grouped by subject. Some of the information is easy to understand, and some is more technical.
-
Massachusetts and Federal Legal Forms
This is a large collection of links to legal forms, grouped by subject, that you can download from your computer.
The Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries web site also has a "Find a Lawyer" referral section, a Document Request form, links to the Massachusetts General Laws and Code of Massachusetts Regulations (CMR), and Massachusetts law updates.
WomensLaw.org Massachusetts - "Legal information and resources for domestic violence"
Web site link: WomensLaw.org Massachusetts
WomensLaw.org provides easy-to-understand legal information and resources for women living with or escaping domestic violence. WomensLaw.org was developed by a group of lawyers, teachers, activists, and web designers to help women lead independent lives, free from abuse. The web site includes:
You may contact the Womenslaw.org E-mail Hotline if you need more information. Womenslaw.org does not give legal advice, but will find someone who can help you.
Legal Advocacy and Resource Center (LARC)
Web site link: Legal Advocacy and Resource Center
LARC Hotline: Hotline Hours and Telephone Numbers
The Legal Advocacy and Resource Center (LARC) has a free legal help hotline to help low-income Massachusetts residents with non-criminal legal problems. In addition, the LARC does intake screenings for the Volunteer Lawyers Project and several Legal Services offices in the greater Boston area.
- Hotline: 1-800-342-LAWS or 617-603-1700 (9:00 AM to 3:30 PM)
- Tuesday Evening Hotline: 617-603-1815 (4:00 PM to 7:30 PM, Tuesdays only)
When you call the LARC hotline, a staff member will interview you about your legal problem. Depending on your situation, LARC will then:
- give you free legal advice by phone
- send you free written legal information and/or forms
- refer you to a legal services agency for free legal representation
- refer you to a private law agency that will take your case for a fee
- refer you to other government or social service agencies
LARC can help with a wide range of non-criminal legal problems, but especially problems with housing, family law, public benefits, employment, and consumer issues.
Online Legal Help section last updated on 9/08/09
|
