Income, family size and special financial needs are taken into account in determining whether a person is eligible for legal aid. Legal services are free for eligible low-income individuals, but clients are required to pay court fees where possible. Displays a list of organizations in your area that provide assistance with your legal issue. On the next page, we ask you to tell us in which country you live and what legal problem you need help with. Depending on your answers, you can choose from: legal advice, legal information, referral or online request for legal services. The South Carolina Department of Aging has long-standing partnerships with the SC Bar and SC Bar Pro Bono Program, the Access to Justice Commission, SC Legal Services, and other agencies (governmental or otherwise) that can provide legal representation to the target audience. You must bring with you all legal documents served and all other documents related to your case. It is your responsibility to provide this information to your lawyer. A client was facing the loss of his home due to a mortgage foreclosure caused by a tax error at the county assessor`s office. Thanks to legal assistance, the error has been corrected, the mortgage has been updated and the monthly payments are now at the right amount so that the client can maintain his own home.
Welcome to the South Carolina Legal Services (SCLS) website for online filing, legal information, and bank transfers. This website provides resources and links that can help you find the legal help you need. The SC Bar is instrumental in providing volunteer advocates in various parts of the state for education, voluntary clinics, and “Ask A Lawyer” programs that target the elderly population or are suitable for caregivers. Please contact them at (803) 799-6653 to find out how you can get involved in ensuring seniors get the legal services they need free of charge. The pro bono program is rarely able to respond to urgent requests from a lawyer. However, if you are served with legal documents after the pro bono program has received or completed your admission, but before you have been referred to a lawyer, call the pro bono office immediately. If documents are given to you after a lawyer has taken over your case, call the law firm immediately. Last year, regional organizations on aging spent approximately $330,000 to fund legal services for HC`s most vulnerable population. Our service provider handled 1,160 legal files in eleven (11) priority areas. The success of the program is not measured in dollars, but by the impact we have on people`s lives every day. Examples of the positive impact of this program can be found below.
A long-term care insurance policy denied coverage to a person, alleging that the person had exhausted their benefits. Legal Assistance concluded that the wording of the policy was inconsistent and included a provision that total benefits were 2190 days (six years), while other articles indicated three years. After receiving a letter of claim and various legal actions, the company negotiated a settlement and the client agreed to another year of coverage. Non-criminal legal services for individuals who cannot afford a private lawyer are provided by SC Legal Services. Some of the types of legal services that may be available include: evictions, bankruptcies, health issues, education, mortgage foreclosures, Social Security disability, employment issues, some limited divorce and custody issues, food stamps, and social issues. Legal Services programs do not deal with criminal matters; If you have questions about criminal law, see Public Defence Services. The South Carolina Bar Association`s Pro Bono Program is a private, nonprofit program whose mission is to encourage local lawyers to do free civil legal work in their communities. In criminal cases, please contact your local public defender`s office. To qualify for the South Carolina Bar Association`s pro bono program, you must meet the poverty guidelines set by the federal government. To find out if you are eligible, please call 1-800-395-3425. If you qualify, the South Carolina Bar Association`s pro bono program will attempt to connect you with a pro bono attorney.
Legal Assistance Services: Consumer Protection Protection against domestic violence Driver`s licence Recovery Ex-offenders Reintegration Food Access to health care Access HIV/AIDS Legal needs Home preservation Immigration Income security Simple estate planning Tax disputes will say. Many attorneys in South Carolina offer their services for free (pro bono) to clients who cannot afford to pay for help in civil matters. These issues include family, housing, bankruptcy or probate matters. An older person who was the victim of domestic violence by her husband obtained a 90-day injunction from the family court and was ordered by the family court to file a divorce or separation action for additional protection. Using the Title III-B legal program, the legal provider filed a complaint with the family court for the older person before the protection order expired within 90 days. With this assistance, the client was protected from further violence and was given full use and ownership of the marital home and a transportation vehicle. A client with a disability received support after receiving an intention from the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to recover $81,375.76 from her late mother`s estate. The property`s only asset was a modest mill house that the client had shared with her mother for over forty years. With the help of the Title III-B legal program, the client applied for and was granted an exemption from unreasonable harm. The deceased mother`s $81,375.76 medical expense debt was cancelled, allowing the client to maintain the home.
The Department is actively engaged in establishing partnerships with entities that can provide legal assistance in accordance with the principles of law and regulation set forth in the Older Americans Act, the Legal Services Corporation Act and regulations made pursuant to those Acts.