Access to Justice
The Wayne County Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyer (Pro Bono) Program
“The Wayne County Bar Association’s Pro Bono Policy arises out of two core values: our profession’s calling to help other people, and basic human kindness. The members of our Association have agreed to provide pro bono (volunteer) legal service to those in our community who do not have the financial resources necessary to hire a lawyer: those who have been allowed by the Court to proceed in forma pauperis without having to pay court costs, and those who have been determined by North Penn Legal Services as being eligible to receive free legal services.”
~ From the WCBA Pro Bono Mission Statement, adopted June 10, 2017. To see the full Statement (downloadable version), click [HERE]
The Wayne County Bar Association (the professional association of lawyers who work in Wayne County) helps find free lawyers for people who live in Wayne County and who don’t bring home enough money to pay for a lawyer. Under rules set by the federal government, this is for people who live by themselves and make less than $12,060 a year — more for families (for example, $24,600 a year for a family of 4). You can check the federal rules [HERE].
If you do not qualify for a free lawyer, look at the list of lawyers on this website.
If you have a legal problem and you cannot pay a lawyer, please call 1-877-953-4250 Monday-Friday 9:00 am-11:30 am or Monday-Thursday 1:30-4:00 pm. That is North Penn Legal Services which has free lawyers paid for by taxes. They will ask you questions about how much money you make to see if you qualify for a free lawyer. You can also fill out their form by clicking [HERE]. If you qualify, they will give you a free lawyer or they will ask us to try to find one for you.
Our lawyers have agreed to help low-income residents of Wayne County for free in these areas:
Bankruptcy
Credit Card and Debt Collection
Erasing Criminal Records
Custody Disagreements
Simple Divorces (no children or houses involved)
Domestic Violence or Abuse
Loss of Driver’s License
Simple Estate Administration
Landlord/Tenant
Mortgage Foreclosure
Wills and Powers of Attorney
But to get a free lawyer from us, you have to go through North Penn Legal Services first.
If you have questions, you can also [email us]. Someone should get back to you in a day or so.
Our full Pro Bono Policy and Plan, which we adopted on November 22, 2017, is [HERE].