Legal Aid of Arkansas and the Center for Arkansas Legal Services help low-income Arkansans with civil legal issues. We do not help with criminal cases other than criminal eviction and record expungement. If you've been charged with a crime, contact a public defender (see link below). Qualifying for help is based on your income and assets. It is also based on the type of legal problem you have.
This application works by asking you questions (the application may take up to 10 to 15 minutes) and then sending your answers securely to us. After review, we will contact you and you may speak with an attorney or paralegal. We may schedule an appointment with you, give you advice over the phone, educational materials, or we may refer you to another organization.
If you think you are in immediate danger, call 911 right away! If your problem is urgent, or if you would rather apply by phone, do not use this interview. Call our HelpLine at 1-800-952-9243.
You will need some information to get through the interview. Some of it is basic, like your name, and the county where you live. Some of it may be harder to find, like income and assets (what you own).
Make sure you have this information before you start:
your name, address and county you live in or the county where you legal problem is
the name of the person, business or organization causing your legal problem (if any)
the sources of all your income, and the amount you get each month from each source
the amount of money in all your bank accounts
Before we can help you, we must determine that you are eligible for services. Due to limited resources, our staff is not able to help with every type of legal issue; services are targeted to problems that affect basic needs such as housing, income, medical care and family safety.
Lawyers must avoid conflicts of interest, which happens if talking with both parties of a dispute. We will ask you for information about the person, business or agency with whom you are having a problem to identify any potential conflicts of interest.
If you are eligible to speak with an attorney or paralegal, he or she will ask you about your problem. Please have papers or documents concerning your problem available when we contact you. It will also help if you have important information such as the names of people involved with the problem, and their addresses and telephone numbers.
If we decline to help you or you are unhappy with the legal assistance we provide, you may file a grievance. You can download the grievance form here.
Depending on your case and those funding them, income guidelines must be adhered to by the Center for Arkansas Legal Services and Legal Aid of Arkansas, Inc. Below are several thresholds based on a percentage of the Federal Poverty Level. Most cases must fall within the first threshold (125% of FPL), but there are exceptions. Questions about qualification should be directed to the Helpline (see sidebar box).
Persons in Houshold1 |
Federal Poverty Line(FPL) |
125% of FPL(Common Threshold) |
200% of FPL(Rare Threshold) |
|
1 |
$11,880 |
$14,850 |
$23,760 |
|
2 |
$16,020 |
$20,025 |
$32,040 |
|
3 |
$20,160 |
$25,200 |
$40,320 |
|
4 |
$24,300 |
$30,375 |
$48,600 |
|
5 |
$28,440 |
$35,550 |
$56,880 |
|
6 |
$32,580 |
$40,725 |
$65,160 |
|
7 |
$36,730 |
$45,913 |
$73,460 |
|
For each additional member: |
+$4,160 |
+$5,200 |
+$8,320 |
Wages and salary before deductions
Income from self-employment
Government benefits (such as Social Security, Social Security Disability, and Suplemental Security Income; veterans and unemployment benefits; and workers' compensation)
Child support
Alimony
Military family allotments
Private and public pension benefits
Insurance or annuity payments
Income from dividends, interest, rent, or royalties
Payments from estates or trusts
Any other cash benefit or regular or recurring sources of financial support
To be best prepared, have handy some income verification, such as bank statement or recent tax returns.
While the Center for Arkansas Legal Services and Legal Aid of Arkansas, Inc., may take on the legal cases of groups (including corporations and associations), each person in the group must be eligible under the following LSC code: 45 CFR Part 1611, while also proving that it both lacks, and has no practical means of obtaining, funds to retain private counsel.
