Getting to Know Legal Aid Services in Cuyahoga County

Legal Aid, What Is It?

What is legal aid?
Legal Aid is a resource for low-income individuals in need of legal help. Its purpose is to provide free civil legal assistance to low-income people so that everyone can have equal access to our justice system.
Legal aid can help people facing issues in child custody or support, housing eviction, domestic violence, bankruptcy, consumer fraud , foreclosure, divorce, and guardianships.
Financial eligibility is determined by the household income and number of people living in the home. Legal Aid has evaluation staff that determine financial eligibility and staff who qualify applicants directly. Applicants can also be turned away for other issues such as a conflict of interest with Legal Aid.

Qualification for Legal Aid in Cuyahoga County

Cuyahoga County residents seeking legal assistance from the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland (Legal Aid) must meet certain criteria to qualify for their free services. For many Cuyahoga County residents, legal aid is the only option for receiving help in protecting their legal rights. Legal Aid is available to low-income Cuyahoga County residents who meet certain eligibility requirements.
Legal Aid is available to Cuyahoga County residents with household incomes below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines:
Family Size
200 percent of Federal Poverty Guidelines
1
$23,540
2
$31,860
3
$40,180
4
$48,500
5
$56,820
6
$65,140
7
$73,460
8
$81,780
Legal Aid is not available to residents earning above these amounts. However, if a household’s income is at 200 percent of the poverty level or less, that household is likely to qualify legal aid for legal assistance for civil cases in Cuyahoga County. Other restrictions include:
Not all legal aid services are free. For some services, such as bankruptcy, guardianships and consumer bankruptcy, Legal Aid employs an innovative Sliding Scale Fee Structure to help all Cuyahoga County residents receive legal assistance, regardless of income level. Additional income is based on the prior year’s income tax return. Legal Aid will consider income assets if they exceed the following limits:
Some Cuyahoga County residents are turned away from Legal Aid services because their assets exceed those ceilings even though their income is at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.

What Services Do Legal Aid Organizations Offer

The types of legal services provided by legal aid organizations in Cuyahoga County can generally be broken down into three major categories. These categories include family law, housing, and employment.
Family law is one of the most commonly needed forms of assistance. Organizations typically offer help with custody, divorces, child support modification, grandparent custody rights, divorce mediation, and domestic violence. Many of these groups also provide additional support services, such as operating walkthrough clinics and guaranteed representation for domestic violence victims. Walkthrough clinics at the Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court and the Cuyahoga County General Division help resolve many family law issues quickly and cost-effectively. The clinics allow for consultations with pro bono attorneys and access to mediation services. At the clinics, staff attorneys and paralegals advise on common pleadings and forms.
Housing issues include landlord-tenant disputes, eviction defense, and property tax foreclosure. While there have been past instances of abuse in landlord-tenant relationships, many landlords are now willing to work with renters to come up with affordable payment arrangements to avoid eviction. Legal aid organizations may advise tenants on the laws that govern landlord-tenant relationships and help court the court system to mediate disputes. Some organizations even offer free representation at certain courts, including at Cuyahoga County Housing Court. It is important that individuals facing potential eviction contact a legal aid organization as soon as they learn of any potential notices or legal documents. Facing an eviction is a stressful process, and working with an attorney can provide relief and protections.
Employment issues may involve help with claims for unemployment, wrongful termination, discrimination, and wage theft. Organizations may also provide full representation for employee employment cases. Using a lawyer can ensure that a worker understands their rights and is protected from retaliation or other measures from an employer by pursuing a legal claim. While legal aid generally does not represent individuals in civil cases involving debt, divorce, probate, bankruptcy, or trespass, these organizations are committed to providing access to justice for all of their clients.

Applying For Legal Aid In Cuyahoga County

When you file an application for legal aid, be ready to provide basic information about yourself and your household. The legal aid program wants to know your household income and assets in order to determine if you are eligible for free or low-cost legal services. You’ll also need to provide contact information for yourself and your spouse, if you are married.
Keep in mind that legal aid programs ask for financial information to determine whether you qualify for their services; they don’t use your financial information for any other reason. In fact, most legal aid programs strive to keep any information about applicants secure and private .
Once you’ve completed the online application, it’s time to provide any documents they request to verify your identity or financial situation.
Your local program may require some of the following:
If you’re applying in person, the intake staff may ask you for some of the above documents, or they may ask you to bring them to your first appointment.
If you’re not sure whether or not you should apply, legal aid programs want you to know that our services can help eligible clients understand the roles of the courts, represent people in court, and provide brief advice and counsel to assist people in general. Legal aid may schedule a meeting with you to go over your forms and paperwork so you know how to proceed.

Major Legal Aid Organizations in Cuyahoga County

The following prominent legal aid organizations serve the community of Cuyahoga County:
Cleveland Legal Aid
Legal Aid represents seniors and low-income individuals and families with civil legal issues. It provides comprehensive legal assistance in areas such as housing, consumer rights, family law, and government benefits. Both its main office and the Courthouse Legal Clinic are located on East 6th St near Prospect Ave.
Community Legal Aid Services
CLAS is the largest legal aid in Ohio, providing free legal services to more than 4,000 poor people in the Greater Akron/Canton area each year. It serves eligible clients from its eight locations in the region, including the main office in Akron, the Family Justice Center in central Canton, and four offices in greater Summit County.
Northwest Neighborhood Law
Based in the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland, NNLC offers free consultations with attorneys licensed by the Ohio Supreme Court. It serves residents of Cuyahoga County whose income is below 125% of the federal poverty line.
Pro Seniors
Pro Seniors is the largest advocate for Ohio seniors, with a mission to provide free legal and advocacy services exclusively for seniors. It helps people ages 55 and older who have legal problem and who cannot afford an attorney. It helps seniors across Ohio with such issues as elder fraud, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, guardianship & end of life issues. It also provides education and training for professionals and caregivers.

Success Stories from Legal Aid Recipients

The advocacy of legal aid organizations can have a profound impact. A compelling example is the story of Sarah (name changed), who found herself in need of legal assistance after she was injured in a car accident at work. As a contract nurse for a home health agency, Sarah had been instructed that she was not allowed to transport patients to medical appointments. However, on the day of the accident, her patient had clearly indicated a need for an appointment. Unable to ignore her gut instinct as a caring professional, Sarah decided to drive her patient to the doctor, who later prescribed an MRI to rule out cancer. Unfortunately, Sarah was in a car accident on the way to the appointment that injured both her and her patient. After gaining consciousness and reaching the scene, the fire department used the Jaws of Life to extract both of them from the mangled wreck. Sarah suffered severe injuries to her leg which required multiple surgeries and months of recovery.
Sarah contacted a for-profit personal injury attorney who agreed to represent her with one major stipulation: she must waive worker’s compensation benefits in order for him to represent her . Since Sarah was so desperate for help, she agreed to waive her worker’s compensation benefits and signed a retainer agreement with the firm without asking for a copy of the agreement. Sarah felt that her attorney would "figure it out" for her and that all she needed to do was sign the paperwork. After a few months, Sarah received a call from her attorney telling her that there was a hearing scheduled on her worker’s compensation case. Sarah was confused and didn’t understand what had happened as the prior agreement did not allow this type of hearing to take place as part of the worker’s compensation claim.
When Sarah’s sister reached out to Legal Aid for help, we were able to review the claim and realized there was a huge error. The for-profit attorney had fraudulently signed Sarah’s signature in order to get the waiver she never authorized. After further research and investigation, we were able to prove that someone had fraudulently signed the form because her signature looked very different on other documents signed two years prior. Sarah was able to keep her worker’s compensation benefits and receive all of the necessary compensation that she rightfully deserved. Not only was Sarah able to keep the benefits for her serious injury, but she also was able to keep her medical coverage open.