Free Legal Aid in Fitchburg
Last updated: November 7, 2013
The legal world can be a confusing place, so enlisting the aid of a trained professional is usually in your best interest. But lawyers are expensive. If you are elderly, disabled, a victim of domestic violence, or earn less than 125% of the federal poverty threshold, you may be eligible for free legal representation from one of Fitchburg’s local legal aid groups. Using any one of these groups is a fantastic way to even the odds in your favor. The keys to selecting a quality legal aid lawyer are to contact a group that specializes in your particular legal issue and to feel comfortable speaking earnestly with the person who will be representing your interests. To make your search easier, we have compiled a list of reliable legal aid groups in and around Fitchburg.
Civil Legal Aid
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Community Legal Aid
76 Summer St.
Fitchburg, MA 01420
Tel: (800) 649-3718Good to know: Community Legal Aid provides free civil legal services to low-income and elderly individuals in central and western Massachusetts, with a satellite office in Fitchburg. They can help with any civil law issue, but specialize in benefits and unemployment law, elder law, family and juvenile law, housing and homelessness and immigration law. The Fitchburg office is only open on Wednesdays, but their main office in Worcester can assist you on any weekday.
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Massachusetts Justice Project
405 Main St.
3rd Floor
Worcester, MA 01608
Tel: (508) 831-9888Good to know: The Massachusetts Justice Project offers legal advice, brief services, referrals and a limited amount of full representation to poor people in need of legal assistance. They refer many clients to their partner, Community Legal Aid. Call their hotline Monday through Thursdays before 1 p.m., or use their website to apply online instead.
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Legal Assistance Corporation of Central Massachusetts
326 Nichols Rd.
Suite 26
Fitchburg, MA 01420
Tel: (978) 345-2067Good to know: The Legal Assistance Corporation can help you with a wide variety of civil legal issues, including child custody, domestic violence, housing, health care, employment, government benefits and elder law issues. Their branch office in Fitchburg is only open on Tuesdays, but their main office in Worcester is open every weekday.
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Small Claims Advisory Service
Tel: (617) 497-5690Good to know: The Small Claims Advisory Service is a group of volunteers who help the citizens of Massachusetts navigate the small claims system. They can help you with small claim issues related to auto law, consumer law, credit and debt law, home improvement law and landlord/tenant disputes.
Criminal Legal Aid
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Committee for Public Counsel Services (Worcester Office)
340 Main St.
Suite 725
Worcester, MA 01608
Tel: (508) 368-1850Good to know: The Committee for Public Counsel Services is the Public Defender for Massachusetts. They oversee the provision of legal representation to indigent persons in criminal cases when there is a right to counsel, as well as in certain related civil cases where an individual’s liberty is at stake, such as mental health proceedings.
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Prisoners' Legal Services
10 Winthrop Sq.
3rd Floor
Boston, MA 02110
Tel: (617) 482-2773Good to know: Prisoners’ Legal Services provides civil legal assistance to people who are incarcerated in Massachusetts state prisons or in the county jails. They can help with issues such as access to health Care (including mental health care), staff assaults, extreme conditions of confinement, and segregation. They do not handle criminal matters that are not directly related to incarceration.
Law School Clinics
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Harvard Legal Aid Bureau
Tel: (617) 495-4408Good to know: The Harvard Legal Aid Bureau represents people with no or low incomes who live in Suffolk or Middlesex County. Law students are supervised by licensed attorneys, and can help you with housing, family, government benefits, and wage and hour law matters.
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Boston College Legal Assistance Bureau
24 Crescent St.
Suite 202
Waltham, MA 02453
Tel: (781) 893-4793Good to know: The Boston College Legal Assistance Bureau is run by Boston College law students and supervised by licensed attorneys. They can help you with a wide variety of civil legal issues, in particular domestic violence prevention, family law, landlord-tenant disputes, and Social Security disability appeals.