All About Neighborhood Legal Services
This non-profit organization provides free legal services to low-income people in Allegheny County and the surrounding area. For over five decades, NLS has been protecting legal rights and fostering economic independence by increasing access to justice for individuals and families who struggle and live under the low-income guideline. NLS has five offices in Allegheny County: McKeesport, Eastside (Homewood), East Liberty, North Side, and South Hills. Each office is staffed with dedicated lawyers, community organizers, and other professionals that help the community understand the laws, legal procedures, rights , and responsibilities that apply to them. The organization provides essential legal information and advice about solving legal problems and also helps people in various ways, like providing interpretation and translation assistance, educating the public about active litigation, and representing people before administrative and appellate bodies and other courts.
NLS fights for justice through direct legal representation and a variety of other services. They offer several quality programs that provide effective legal representation to the most vulnerable populations: In addition, NLS offers a legal hotline and physical locations where individuals can access further information and other legal assistance throughout the Greater Pittsburgh area.
Categories of Legal Aid Provided
Neighborhood legal services in Pittsburgh, PA provide a diverse array of services through their network of attorneys and law firms. Legal matters that can be addressed by local pro bono lawyers include family law issues, housing, consumer protection, educational advocacy, and unemployment compensation.
Family Law
Legal assistance for family law cases spans a wide variety of needs and challenges for residents. Pro bono lawyers can assist with general family law issues, including divorce, annulment, custody, child support, guardianship, adoptions, surrogacy, guardianship, foster care, and terminating parental rights. For low-income families, having a divorce finalized or establishing child support is crucial, but it can be prohibitively expensive to hire an attorney. A pro bono lawyer can help struggling families to secure the legal representation they otherwise could not afford.
Housing
Housing law is another area for legal assistance. Legal aid lawyers can help individuals with landlord-tenant needs, mortgage foreclosure, property tax sales, utility shutoffs, and housing discrimination. Having stable housing is vital for all families and individuals; housing can affect everything from job stability to educational opportunities. Having a local legal aid attorney at your side can make the difference in your housing situation.
Consumer Protection
Consumer protection covers several areas, including credit counseling, identity theft, bankruptcy, repossessions, debt collection and harassment, classified and internet fraud, and unfair sales practices. It can be overwhelming to deal with consumer protection issues. Interactive workshops are available, as well as a process for selecting a pro bono lawyer to represent consumers in need.
Educational Advocacy
Education is the foundation for any successful community and society. Children who have special education needs or those who have failed to succeed in the traditional educational system need extra support. Educational advocacy services can help children navigate the school system and receive the services they need.
Unemployment Compensation
The current job market can be challenging for many individuals. Those who have lost a job through no fault of their own may be entitled to unemployment benefits. Local legal aid organizations offer free help for filing these claims and challenging denials of unemployment compensation.
Qualifications for Receiving Free Legal Aid
To be eligible for services, a client must meet the income guidelines established for their geographic area. In Allegheny County, Neighborhood Legal Services serves individuals and families who make less than 125% of the federal poverty guideline. The federal poverty guideline is a standard used to determine eligibility for certain benefit programs. As of 2018, the monthly income threshold is determined based on the number in a household: While the income thresholds are the criteria for most clients, some legal matters have additional requirements to be eligible for free legal services. Generally, cases involving domestic matters (marriage, divorce, custody, protection from abuse, etc.) require evidence of abuse before a client can receive services. Also, Neighborhood Legal Services does not advise or represent clients if they have received a decision from an administrative court or tribunal. For example, Social Security disability cases are handled at the hearing level. If a client wishes to appeal the decision by the hearing examiner, the client must appeal the decision to the Federal District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania on their own.
How to Obtain Legal Aid in Pittsburgh
To access neighborhood legal services in Pittsburgh, each Neighborhood legal service organization has its own process. However, you will usually have to call an office location in order to schedule an appointment, and you must usually demonstrate that you cannot afford to pay for services and that you have a case that our organization handles.
Many of our offices do intake directly so that we can assess the needs of clients who approach our organization with their legal issue. In some cases a hotline arrangement has been made so that a person needing assistance will be able to speak with an attorney who will determine if the case can be handled by one of the offices. In these instances, the prospective client is usually asked to call the dedicated hotline to determine if the matter will be handled by our organization . If so, the prospective client will then be directed to an office which can help them.
Routine intakes are handled by staff members who create a file for each new person who seeks services and write a summary of the person’s compliance with the established eligibility guidelines. This file and summary is reviewed by a volunteer attorney or an attorney on the staff at the request of the unit’s Director. Since not every prospective client needs an in-person meeting with an attorney, in some offices staff will determine that a simple letter outlining clients’ issues and explaining Medicare eligibility or how to obtain public assistance, for instance, will suffice. In those cases, the staff member will prepare this document and send it to clients in lieu of an in-person meeting.
Successes and Community Impact
Since their inception, Neighborhood Legal Services has handled more than 200,000 cases, and the Office of Development and Communications at StreetSMarts has taken a look at some of their most impactful cases.
One particularly touching case involved a 69-year-old woman in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who sought legal representation after receiving a notice to vacate her home. The woman lived in the City of Pittsburgh for nearly 54 years, including 36 years in the same rooming house, where she paid $115 per month rent. The woman, who suffers from diabetes, was diagnosed with cancer in 2011, and is currently undergoing chemotherapy, which can affect concentration and memory. The 69-year-old’s niece became aware of the notice to vacate and immediately contacted the Pro Bono Center for assistance.
Pursuant to recommendations made by the Pro Bono Center, a pro bono attorney accepted the case, and was able to bypass the initial hearing, where the court typically conducts a summary hearing whereby the tenant has an opportunity to speak about their reasons for not paying rent. In this case, the pro bono attorney was able to convince the tenant’s landlord to withdraw the complaint and dismiss charges against the tenant, thereby allowing the tenant to remain in her current residence.
This case is just one of many successful cases handled by neighborhood legal services in Pittsburgh. By providing critical legal representation to individuals who would be unable to afford their services without their help, neighborhood legal services in Pittsburgh is able to make a profound impact on the lives of these individuals, while benefitting the community as a whole.
Area Resources
For the best coverage of Pittsburgh NLS legal services, let’s take a look at those contact numbers available to you. These legal resources include the following:
North Side Site: 1500 Allegheny Avenue, Suite 100, Pittsburgh, PA 15233 (412) 522-4444
South Side Site: 2500 Wartman Street, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15203 (412) 481-8200
Pennsylvania Home Ownership Assistance Program – Ms. Dae Poole (412) 255-6700
Intake Hours (North , South & Main Office): Monday through Friday 8:45 AM to 4:00 PM
The VA – City of Pittsburgh Legal Assistance Office
Main Office, 4425 Fifth Ave. Suite 100, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (412) 395-3400
Coraopolis Office, 601 Main St., Suite L, Pittsburgh, PA 15237
Phone: (412) 777-2104
Hours: 8:00AM to 11:00AM Tuesday and Thursday
ONE PROGRAM IN FRANKSTOWN RD
THE SECOND IN SQUIRREL HILL.