Click here if you have a criminal matter.

The Pro Bono Project does not accept fee-generating or criminal cases.

HELP!!

First, contact the Southeast Louisiana Legal Services at 529-1000 to set an appointment for income eligibility screening! You may also contact Southeast Louisiana Legal Services at 800-349-0886 or 800-891-0076.

The Pro Bono Project accepts referrals from various agencies in a five-parish area: Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, ST. Tammany and Washington. Clients are first screened through agencies like NOLAC to determine if you meet federal poverty guidelines.

What if I don't meet the income test?

Contact the New Orleans Bar Association at 561-8828 and ask for the Lawyer Referral Program. This program and the Bar's "Modest Means" program can assist those with modest incomes to access legal assistance at reduced rates.

If you contact The Pro Bono Project directly, you will be asked what "type" of legal problem you have: for instance, "I'm being sued"; "I have a problem with my landlord"; "I'm fighting for custody of my child." If the matter is a civil matter, we will refer you to Southeast Louisiana Legal Services at 529-1000 to make an appointment for income eligibility screening.

Examples of civil matters we represent include:

• Consumer: Bankruptcy, consumer debt, school loans, defective products, insurance coverage denial
• Employment: Unemployment compensation, civil service appeals, wage claims, pension benefits
• Family: Child custody, divorce, assistance to family violence victims, adoptions, name changes, small successions and wills.
• Health: Medicaid, Medicare, health insurance problems
• Housing: Eviction defense, illegal lockouts or utility cutoffs by landlords, home foreclosures, housing discrimination, tenants' rights, public or subsidized housing disputes
• Income Security: SSI and Social Security disability benefits, food stamps, TANF

Finally, we may refer you to one of many Free Legal Clinics we staff at various sites, during various days and hours, around the metropolitan New Orleans area. These include the Homeless Advocacy Clinics, the Elderly Advocacy Clinics, the Succession/Wills Clinic, and the Divorce Workshop. In addition, Southeast Louisiana Legal Services offers clinics addressing issues such as unfair labor practices at its Employment Law Clinic.

Consumers seeking legal help on the internet can use www.findlegalhelp.org. It has easy to use categories and can help you make informed decisions about your legal needs.

What if I have a criminal matter?

You will be referred to the Criminal Indigent Defender's Program in Orleans Parish, to the modest means programs noted above, or be directed to the relevant District Attorney's office in the parish where the matter is being addressed. Remember, in criminal matters, everyone is entitled to an attorney!