ABA Free Legal Answers
ABA Free Legal Answers, a virtual legal aid clinic, provides individuals and families across the country with free online legal help concerning lost jobs, evictions, insurance claims, and more so that income is not a barrier to accessing an attorney. ABA FLA is active in 44 U.S. states and territories, working towards complete national coverage as it continues to narrow the justice gap.
Your Gift Matters
Your gift to ABA Free Legal Answers will be doubled, up to the first $3,000 donated, thanks to generous anonymous donors! Your gift gives those who can’t afford a lawyer access to legal advice and information free of charge. The vast majority of low-income people’s civil legal concerns go unmet in this country. In its 2022 Justice Gap report, the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) noted that 92% of civil legal needs reported by low-income Americans received insufficient or no help. Cost is most often the barrier: nearly half, 46%, of those who did not seek legal help for one or more problems cite concerns about cost as a reason. ABA Free Legal Answers also overcomes geographic, and logistical barriers to obtaining legal services. Free, easily accessible, timely legal guidance can prevent legal problems from becoming a larger issue, providing needed information and guidance before other legal actions, litigation, or court appearances become necessary.
ABA FLA casts a wide safety net and your generosity today is instrumental to keeping this free service available for those needing legal assistance.
Our Impact
Low-income individuals and families have sent nearly 400,000 questions to ABA Free Legal Answers. Users post between 30-50,000 questions annually and volunteer attorneys licensed in the client’s state review and answer questions in their area of expertise. This critical service improves clients’ understanding of their problem and if it has a solution in law, provides concrete advice on how to proceed, guidance to represent oneself, and referrals to a legal provider for representation if needed. ABA FLA is often clients’ sole opportunity to get legal advice and information, providing education, resolution, and/or connection to further resources needed to address civil legal issues.
“My response was timely and well written and helped me understand my situation a lot more. The attorney was clear and concise with the answer they provided and…I am very grateful for the help. I have no way to afford an attorney and have to represent myself, so I am trying to figure out what rights I have, and this site helped me understand those rights.” –ABA FLA Client from Mississippi
Volunteer
To share your time and expertise as a volunteer and help provide critical legal advice that advances justice in communities nationwide, learn more and register here.