News & Events

 

The Legal Aid Society of Hawai`i provides help to individuals and families who cannot afford to hire a private attorney with their civil legal needs. Legal Aid responds to approximately 19,000 inquiries each year, and 8,000 of those individuals recieve legal services ranging from advice and counsel to full representation.

 

Legal Aid primarily assists in the areas of FAMILY LAW, FAIR HOUSING LAW, HOUSING LAW, CONSUMER LAW, and PUBLIC BENEFITS LAW.

 

Legal Aid also offers help with SENIOR CITIZEN legal issues, HOUSING DISCRIMINATION, IRS TAX ISSUES, and issues affecting the HOMELESS.

 

Legal Aid does NOT help with CRIMINAL or PERSONAL INJURY matters.

 

To apply for ASSISTANCE with your issue

 

LEGAL SERVICES CORPORATION ADVOCATE & CLIENT
SELF-HELP MATERIALS

To access over 120 self-help resource materials

to assist you with your non-criminal legal needs,

primarily in the areas of Housing, Affordable Housing,
Family, Consumer, and Public Benefits Law.

 

DISCLAIMER:
This website is designed to provide general information and should not
be utilized as a substitute for professional legal advice.

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The Legal Aid Society of Hawai`i provides help in the area of FAMILY LAW to families and individuals who are struggling with a variety of different issues, including:

 

Child custody, visitation, and child support;
Divorce;
Paternity;
Spouse and child abuse;
Temporary Restraining Orders (TROs);
Adoptions, Guardianships, or Powers of Attorney;
Advance Health Care Directives and simple wills; and other legal issues

 

Legal Aid’s staff of attorneys and paralegals provide assistance with these issues through a variety of different methods, including: legal advice, help in filling out paperwork, making phone calls, document preparation, classes on how to complete an uncontested divorce or how to modify child support or child custody orders, and full representation in limited cases.

 

For additional information about FAMILY LAW

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We provide help in the area of HOUSING LAW and FAIR HOUSING LAW to families and individuals who are struggling with a variety of different issues, including:

 

HOUSING LAW ISSUES

Eviction;
Illegal lockout or shut-off of utilities;
Landlord-tenant disputes;
Public housing or Section 8 disputes;
Requests for repairs;
Security deposit disputes;
and other housing legal issues

 

Legal Aid’s staff of attorneys and paralegals provide assistance with these issues through a variety of different methods, including: legal advice, help in filling out paperwork, making phone calls, document preparation, one-on-one eviction counseling with an attorney, and full representation in limited cases.

 

FAIR HOUSING ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM (FHEP) aims to enforce fair housing laws by determining whether housing providers (landlords, lenders, sellers, etc.) are discriminating against individuals.

 

For more information about FAIR HOUSING LAW

 

For more information about HOUSING LAW

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We provide help in the area of CONSUMER LAW to families and individuals who are struggling with a variety of different issues, including:

 

Auto purchase and loan problems;

Credit reporting problems;

Debt collection and debtor’s rights;

Foreclosures;

Home Ownership Issues;

Garnishments and repossessions;

Pay day loans and other lending issues;

Pre-purchase counseling for home owners;

Student loan discharge and collection issues;

Tax disputes with the IRS;

and other consumer legal issues

Legal Aid’s staff of attorneys and paralegals provide assistance with these issues through a variety of different methods, including: legal advice, help in filling out paperwork, making phone calls, document preparation, classes on how to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and full representation in limited cases.

 

For additional information about CONSUMER LAW

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The Legal Aid Society of Hawai`i provides help in the area of Public Benefits Law to families and individuals who are struggling with a variety of different issues, including:

 

Problems with Department of Human Services (DHS) benefits (Financial Assistance, Food Stamps, Medicaid/QUEST, etc.);
Problems with Social Security Retirement /Disability and Supplemental Security Income;
Assistance with application for public assistance;
and other public benefits related issues

Legal Aid’s staff of attorneys and paralegals provide assistance with these issues through a variety of different methods, including: legal advice, help in filling out paperwork, making phone calls, document preparation, and full representation in limited cases.

 

For additional information about PUBLIC BENEFITS LAW

 

 

 

The Legal Aid Society of Hawai`i has a number of special projects that are designed to assist individuals with various legal needs. Many of these projects are funded through grants or contracts with other agencies.

(Click on program below)

 

1. Affordable Lawyers Project

2. Americorps Project Laulima

3. Brown Bags Seminars

4. Center for Equal Justice (CEJ)

5. Domestic Violence Advocacy Program

6. Fair Housing Enforcement Program (FHEP)

7. Family Courthouse Assistance Program (Family CAP)

8. General Legal Services

9. Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) Project

10. Homeless Holistic Civil Legal Services Project

11. HUD Homeownership Counseling Project

12. Kid’s Social Security Disability Project

13. Legal Advocacy for Families and Children (OCS-DHS GRANT)

14. Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) Project

15. Senior Title III Project (Big Island & Maui Only)

16. Social Security Advocacy Project

17. Teamsters/Allied Legal Services Project

 

 

To apply for help from a PROGRAM or PROJECT

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Applicants must meet five criteria in order to be eligible for Legal Aid's FREE or LOW-COST services.

 

1. INCOME
a) Income eligible according to the guidelines set out by LSC annually (125% of federal poverty guidelines); OR

b) Over income, but a member of a target population for which we receive additional funding specifically (e.g. HUD housing, Affordable Lawyers Project, Big Island and Maui Title III, etc); OR

c) Over-income but qualify as an exception to LSC income eligibility. Income Eligibility Exception must be completed.

2. ASSETS
a) Assets less than $8,000 for single individual; for each additional family member the limited is increased by $3,000; OR

b) Over-asset but qualify as an exception to LSC asset eligibility. Asset Eligibility Exception must be completed.

3. CITIZENSHIP OR ALIEN STATUS
a) U.S. citizen. If a client meets face-to-face with Legal Aid, U.S. Citizenship Documentation must be completed; OR

b) Eligible Alien. Eligible Alien Documentation must be completed and relevant documentation attached.

4. NO CONFLICT OF INTEREST with another client or have Waiver of Conflict signed by previous client.

5. TYPE OF LEGAL PROBLEM. Have a legal problem that is a type of problem that Legal Aid assists with.

 

Legal Aid does NOT help with CRIMINAL or PERSONAL INJURY matters.

For additional information about QUALIFICATIONS