PLEASE READ THIS FIRST
If You Are Looking For Free Legal Assistance
Intake Interviews are done BY TELEPHONE. You must call the Pro Bono Project during Intake Hours (Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.) to be screened for eligibility.
Please do not come to our office without an appointment, because we may not be available to meet with you right then.
We are not able to offer emergency assistance with legal matters.
The Pro Bono Project is a referral service which matches very-low-income clients with volunteer attorneys in private practice in the Caddo-Bossier area. We cannot give you legal advice, and we do not have attorneys on staff.
We accept cases in Caddo and Bossier Parishes ONLY.
The Pro Bono Project does not accept criminal cases of any kind.
To find out if you qualify for legal help through our program
call 221-2205 on Tuesday or Thursday
between the hours of 1:00 and 4:00 p.m.
When you call, a staff member will get some basic information from you, and will let you know whether you are eligible for free legal help through our program.
The information below will tell you more about the Northwest Louisiana Pro Bono Project, the types of cases we accept, and how our program works. It's a good idea for you to read this before you call us, so you'll understand what to expect and what types of issues we can help you with.
Who Is Eligible For Assistance
From The Pro Bono Project?
We have strict guidelines we must follow in determining who is eligible for free legal help through our program. Not everyone will qualify for assistance even if their income is low, or if they cannot afford to hire an attorney.
Your legal problem must be a civil or juvenile matter. The Pro Bono Project does not accept any criminal cases.
You must be indigent, or living on a very low income.
You must live in Caddo or Bossier Parish. There is sometimes an exception to that rule: If you live somewhere other than Caddo or Bossier Parish, you may still be eligible for help from our program if your legal matter is happening in Caddo or Bossier Parish.
The Northwest Louisiana Pro Bono Project does not accept cases outside of Caddo and Bossier Parishes. If you are a resident of Caddo or Bossier, but your legal matter taking place in a different Parish, or outside the State of Louisiana, our program cannot assist you. CLICK HERE to visit LawHelp.org/LA for a list of pro bono and legal aid agencies which serve the other parishes and regions throughout the State of Louisiana.
If you believe you meet our guidelines, please call 221-2205 on Tuesday or Thursday between the hours of 1:00 and 4:00 p.m., to be screened for eligibility. If you qualify for services from our program, we will send you an application to receive free legal services from the Pro Bono Project.
Filling Out Your Pro Bono Application
After we've verified that you are eligible for our program, you must fill out an application for free legal assistance, which asks for detailed information about your income, the other people living in your household and their income, and the legal problem you're seeking help with. The application also has a Client Retainer Agreement, which you must sign stating that you understand the terms under which free legal assistance is provided for you through the Pro Bono Project.
There are several ways we can send you the application form:
We can mail the application form to you.
If you can receive a fax, we can fax the application form to you.
If you have an email address and can receive email, and you have a way to print out the application form, we can email it to you.
After you complete the application, you will need to mail it back to us. You may also fax your completed application to us at 221-2205.
When you mail or fax us your completed application, you must also attach copies of documents proving your financial status, and a clear copy of your driver's license or state photo ID card.
What Kinds Of Cases Can You Help With?
We provide assistance with civil and juvenile matters such as:
- divorce, child custody and child support
- visitation
- paternity issues
- adoption and guardianship
- emancipation
- consumer law
- disability law
- elder law
- veteran's benefits
- personal bankruptcy
- wills and successions
- living wills and advanced care directives
- tutorship/curatorship
- landlord/tenant issues (such as eviction)
What Happens After I Send In My Application?
Once we’ve received your completed application, we’ll review the information you provided and determine whether you are eligible to receive free legal services from our program.
If we find that you are not eligible for our program, we’ll send you a letter notifying you of this, and explaining why we weren’t able to assist you. If we have information about other programs that might be able to help you, we’ll send that to you as well.
If you are eligible, we will place your case into our referral system and begin trying to find an attorney for you. That process takes a minimum of two to four weeks, and sometimes longer. Depending upon what type of legal matter you have, you may be referred to a lawyer for representation, or you may simply be referred for consultation and advice.
How Long Will It Take To Find Me A Lawyer?
How long it takes to get your referral depends on how many volunteer attorneys we have available at the time, what type of legal matter you have, and whether your matter is simple or complicated. Some legal matters are more urgent than others, and we must try to refer out those more urgent cases first. And, it infrequently happens that there are some situations where for various reasons, we’re unable to find a volunteer attorney willing to take the case. This information is not meant to discourage you from applying for assistance from us, but to help you understand what we can and cannot do for you.
The Pro Bono Project isn't a government agency. We don't have attorneys on staff. The attorneys who work with us are volunteers. They are not paid for their services by our Project or any other organization. These lawyers are donating their time free of charge, to represent or provide consultations for people on very low incomes who cannot afford to hire an attorney, because they support the cause of equal access to justice for all citizens.
The Northwest Louisiana Pro Bono Project receives a large number of requests for free legal help, and we have a limited number of volunteer attorneys. Depending upon their current caseloads of pro bono clients, our volunteer lawyers are not always able to take on new ones right away. That doesn’t mean we can’t help you, but it does mean there may be a wait before we can find an attorney able to help you.
But I Need Help Right Away! My Case Is An Emergency.
The Pro Bono Project is NOT able to provide emergency legal assistance. Also, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to find a volunteer attorney who is available to take your case or advise you by or before a certain date. For example, if you have a court date coming up in the very near future, the Pro Bono Project cannot promise to find you a lawyer in time for your court date.
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