Free legal help · 7 real options
You can get legal help without paying, but each free option fits a different situation. Here is who each one is for. Need a general answer right now? Ask our free AI legal assistant below.
You are chatting with an AI. It gives general legal information, not legal advice, and can be wrong or out of date — check deadlines on the official settlement website. Please don't share Social Security numbers, account numbers or medical details.
Try one of these:
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Hurt in an accident, at work or by a medical mistake? Most injury lawyers offer a free first consultation and work on contingency: no fee unless they recover money for you. Start a free case review for your situation:
Run by the American Bar Association: you post a civil legal question online and a volunteer lawyer licensed in your state answers it, at no cost. You answer a few questions first to see if you qualify. Available in more than 40 states, plus a federal page for immigration and veterans issues. abafreelegalanswers.org
Nonprofit legal aid programs give free civil legal help to people with low incomes, often with housing, benefits, debt, family and consumer problems. The Legal Services Corporation lists the program for your area. Find legal aid near you
Many state and local bar associations run lawyer referral services that match you with a lawyer for a first consultation, often at a reduced fee and sometimes free for certain case types. Ask what the consultation costs before you book.
Many state courts run self-help centers and websites for people without a lawyer. Staff cannot give legal advice, but they explain forms and procedures, which is often exactly what small claims, evictions and uncontested family cases need.
Many law schools run clinics where students, supervised by licensed lawyers, handle real cases for free, commonly in housing, consumer, immigration and small business law. Capacity is limited, so call early.
Instant, general answers about settlements, accidents, insurance claims and consumer rights, 3 questions a day for free. It is not a lawyer, and it tells you when you need one. Open the AI legal assistant
If you cannot afford a lawyer, you have the right to a court-appointed one, usually a public defender. Say so at your first court appearance.
Yes, in more than 40 states through ABA Free Legal Answers, where volunteer lawyers licensed in your state answer civil legal questions for people who qualify. For a general answer right away, our AI legal assistant answers questions for free, but it is not a lawyer.
It depends on the field. Most personal injury, workers' comp and many employment lawyers offer a free first consultation. In family law, criminal defense and business matters a paid consultation is common. Ask about the fee before you book.
You have the right to a court-appointed lawyer, usually a public defender. Tell the court at your first appearance that you cannot afford a lawyer.
Our AI legal assistant answers 3 questions a day for free. It gives general legal information, not advice for your specific case, and it tells you when talking to a lawyer makes sense.
Settlement Insight is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. The options above are run by independent organizations; availability and eligibility vary by state.