1. Lawyers, associations and businesses provide people with legal assistance in a variety of ways. State and local bar associations, groups like AARP, the military, and labor unions all join lawyers today as sources of legal information and assistance.

2. About three out of four people who need a lawyer find one from a friend, relative, or co-worker who had a similar problem. Others obtain a lawyer from legal aid programs, pro bono programs, lawyer referral programs, prepaid legal services, military legal assistance programs, or group legal assistance programs.

3. Often people find their lawyer from an advertisement in the Yellow Pages, on television, or through the Internet. About 12 percent of moderate income people and over 20 percent of poor people who have hired a lawyer found that lawyer through some form of advertising.

Obtaining Legal Help Through Organizations
4. Many state and local bar associations operate lawyer referral services. Members who sign up to participate receive referrals of people who have called the bar looking for a lawyer. The lawyers generally provide a low-cost consultation to help the person understand the legal problem and decide how to proceed. This consultation often leads to the potential clients retaining the lawyer to represent them.

5. Prepaid legal services allow people to have a lawyer on-call. Plan participants pay a low monthly fee, frequently taken out of their paychecks as one of their deductions. They can then call a lawyer to get advice about any legal problem, obtain a will, have a real estate contract reviewed, be represented in traffic court, or, in some plans, obtain a divorce. People can find a directory of prepaid legal services from the American Prepaid Legal Services Institute Click here.

6. Sometimes membership organizations provide legal assistance for their members. This is generally a membership benefit, with services provided at rates that are below the prevailing costs for lawyer in the area. AARP’s Legal Services for the Elderly includes telephone hotlines in several states where members can call and speak to a lawyer briefly about their problem. If they then need a lawyer, the hotline attorney will make a referral.

7. Both active and retired military personnel are frequently eligible for civil legal assistance provided by the military. Wills, powers of attorney, guardianships and other legal matters that generally pertain to the needs of military personnel are handled routinely by lawyers and paralegals assigned to bases around the world.

Legal Help from Other Resources
8. Simple legal matters may not justify the expense of a lawyer. People may proceed on a self-represented basis, also known as pro se. They can turn to a lawyer for advice and information or they may obtain information from a self-help book, on-line resource or, in some towns, from the clerk of the court. At self-service centers in some states, pro se litigants can obtain how-to-do-it guides and forms and proceed on their own behalf. However, court personnel cannot give them legal advice like a lawyer can, so they proceed at their own risk.

9. Sometimes the courthouse is not the best place to settle a dispute, so people turn to mediation instead. Mediation of personal matters often does not involve any lawyers, but only the people who are in dispute with a neutral third party, known as the mediator. The mediator encourages people to come to an agreement that they work out between themselves, instead of having a judgment imposed on them by a courtroom trial. [More information about mediation]

Discussion Questions

1. What are the benefits when everyone has access to a lawyer?
2. Is it a good idea for people to find a lawyer just because the lawyer represented a friend?
3. What rules should control lawyers when they advertise? Are lawyers who advertise worse than other lawyers?
4. Should more groups provide access to legal services for its members? Would you want to belong to a group that paid for some of the costs of lawyers who help members of the group?
5. Is it a good idea for people to do their own legal work? What resources would be most helpful if they decide to do so?