All Maryland Legal Aid offices will be closed on Thursday November 25th in observance of Thanksgiving Day Menu Donate Homepage > Get Help & Services Get Help & Services Maryland Legal Aid provides a full range of free civil legal services to financially eligible individuals from 12 office locations. Our legal work helps to protect peoples’ basic needs and human rights. Type here to filter services Close allOpen all Consumer Collection & Debt Contact us if you are being sued or harassed by a debt collector, being sued for a student or medical loan, if your property has been repossessed , if your wages are being garnished , or if you are facing foreclosure and/or if you want to file bankruptcy . Contracts/Warranties Get help from an attorney to understand things included in contracts or warranties, or if you are being sued for breach of contract. Other Consumer / Finance We can help clients who have legal questions and concerns related to their specific financial situation. More Information Bankruptcy PDF Debt Collection: Know Your Rights PDF Debt Collection: Protect Yourself from HarassmentPDF Debt Collection: What Happens If I Get Sued PDF Security Deposit PDF Additional issues include: Bankruptcy Collection Practice Loans Installment Purch. Predatory Lending Practices Public Utilities Unfair and Deceptive Sales and Practices Employment Wage Claims and other FLSA Issues We can provide brief advice for clients who seek to recover backpay or unpaid wages for work performed. More Information Farmworkers Brochures English PDF Farmworkers Brochure Spanish PDF Farmworkers Brochure Creole PDF Fair Pay Booklet English PDF Fair Pay Booklet Spanish PDF Additional issues include: Agricultural Worker Issues Employee Rights Job Discrimination Other Employment Family Custody/Visitation There are different types of child custody, which includes visitation, and we can provide brief advice and/or representation for parents seeking custody of their children. Divorce/Separation We provide brief advice and representation for clients seeking a divorce, separation, or annulment. Domestic Abuse We offer holistic civil legal assistance to victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse through partnerships with TurnAround, Inc., CHANA and the Prince George's County Family Justice Center. Support We can link clients to a variety of support services that help with issues such as housing, unemployment, temporary cash assistance and/or food stamps, and mental and medical health resources. More Information The Basics of Child Custody & Visitation PDF Divorce Basics PDF Additional issues include: Adult Guardian/Conservatorship Name Change Other Family Parental Rights Termination Paternity Health Long Term Health Care Facilities We assist clients with maintaining and planning for long-term care solutions, including planning for incapacity. More Information Involuntary Discharges and Transfers from Nursing Homes PDF Protecting Your Rights in a Nursing Home PDF Protect Your Rights | Assisted Living PDF Signing a Nursing Home Admission Contract for Someone Else PDF Long-Term Care Medical Assistance: Paying the Nursing Home PDF Community First Choice PDF Ryan White Project PDF Additional issues include: Home and Community Based Care Medicaid Medicare Other Health Private Health Insurance State and Local Health Housing Federally Subsidized Housing Everyone has the right to a safe and affordable place to live. Contact us if you need help securing or maintaining a housing voucher. Homeownership/Real Property We can assist clients with change of deed, tax sales, and other legal issues related to owning a home. Mortgage Foreclosures If you are behind on paying your mortgage, Maryland Legal Aid's Foreclosure Legal Assistance Project may be able to help. Call (888) 213-3320 for more information. Other Housing We can help clients who are facing homelessness by linking them with programs and resources, and possibly providing legal assistance that might remedy their legal issues and prevent homelessness. Private Landlord/Tenant We provide representation to tenants in rent court and brief advice for tenants who need help filling out forms or who wish to self-represent in court. Public Housing Find out if you qualify to receive public housing and get help maintaining your public housing voucher. You can visit one of our local community legal clinics for help. Videos about Rent Court Rent Court for Landlords Rent Court for Tenants Rent Escrow More Information Rent Escrow and Repair of Dangerous Conditions PDF Evictions PDF HUD-Subsidized Housing PDF Security Deposit PDF Homeowners and Foreclosure PDF Homeowners and and Reverse Mortgages PDF Water Bills: What Homeowners and Tenants in Baltimore City Need to Know PDF How to Protect your Home from Tax Sale PDF Additional issues include: Housing Discrimination Housing Preservation Mobile Homes Mortgage Predatory Lending/Practices Income Maintenance Social Security We can help clients obtain Supplemental Security Income (SSI ) based on their total income and assets. SSDI If you are disabled and unable to work, we may be able to help you obtain Social Security Disability Insurance. SSI You might qualifity for Social Security Insurance (SSI) if you are a senior, disabled or unemployed. We can asssit clients with filling out forms and preparing for administrative hearings related to obtaining SSI benefits. Unemployment Compensation We can help clients complete the process required to receive unemployment compensation. More Information Appealing Department of Social Services Actions PDF Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) PDF Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (formerly the Food Stamps program) PDF Supplemental Security Income (SSI) PDF Additional issues include: Food Stamps Other Income Maintenance State and Local Income Maintenance TANF Veterans Benefits Individual Rights Expungements We help remove convictions on Maryland criminal records that are eligible for expungement . For help, visit one of our upcoming expungement/legal clinics. Other Individual Rights We can assist clients whose civil/individuals rights may have been violated. More Information Maryland Record Expungement PDF Know Your Rights About Discrimination PDF Additional issues include: Civil Rights Disabled Rights Mental Health Miscellaneous Wills and Estates We can provide brief advice for clients who need help drafting wills and/or advanced directives. Additional issues include: Advance Directives/Powers of Attorney Fraud & Elder Abuse Legal Assistance to Non-Profit Organization or Group Licenses Municipal Legal Needs The Community Lawyering Initiative Maryland Legal Aid’s Community Lawyering Initiative brings civil legal services and assistance for criminal record expungements directly to people in underserved neighborhoods and communities. Through this initiative, attendees can visit a number of weekly and monthly clinics where Maryland Legal Aid legal staff and and volunteers provide free, brief, one-on-one civil legal advice and criminal record expungements. (443) 451-2805 Learn More State & Regional Services Migrant Farmworker Program (800) 444-4099 Maryland Legal Aid’s Migrant Farmworker Program represents migrant and seasonal workers in the agricultural fields, packing houses, nurseries and food processing plants in Maryland and Delaware on employment-related matters. Typical issues include unpaid wages, substandard housing, discrimination, pesticide exposure, and inadequate access to bathrooms and drinking water. The Program conducts outreach to approximately 100 labor camps in Maryland and Delaware. Foreclosure Legal Assistance Project (888) 213-3320 Maryland Legal Aid’s Foreclosure Legal Assistance Project (FLAP) represents low-income homeowners throughout Maryland at all stages of the foreclosure process, including mediations, motions to stay and dismiss sales, bankruptcies, exceptions to sales, motions for orders of possession, and evictions. Advice and referrals to other resources are provided to applicants who we are unable to represent. Long-Term Care Assistance Project (866) 635-2948 Maryland Legal Aid’s Long-Term Care Assistance Project provides free legal assistance to help low-income people obtain long-term healthcare. Through this project, clients can get the services and supports they need, wherever they want to live, whether it is in their own homes, within the community through assisted living, or in nursing homes. Child in Need of Assistance (CINA) Maryland Legal Aid has contracts with the State of Maryland to represent children in abuse and neglect cases in Circuit Courts in many counties. These cases, also known as CINA (Child In Need of Assistance) cases, begin when the State of Maryland, usually through local county Departments of Social Services, removes an alleged abused or neglected child from his/her home and places that child in shelter or foster care for protection. Maryland Legal Aid does not take calls from Maryland residents to handle these cases; attorneys on staff are assigned to cases by local Circuit Courts. Visit the People’s Law Library for a detailed explanation of CINA case proceedings. Maryland Senior Legal Helpline (866) 635-2948 The Maryland Senior Legal Helpline is a free telephone hotline for people living in Maryland, aged 60 years or older. Attorneys who staff the helpline provide brief legal advice to callers or give callers a referral to another legal resource or an appropriate public or private agency. By providing these services over the telephone, seniors can get help for their legal problems without having to leave their homes. Joining Forces Project (443) 863-4040 Maryland Legal Aid’s Joining Forces project (Veterans’ Hotline) is a free, statewide legal telephone hotline specifically for low-income individuals who have served in any branch of the military—regardless of their discharge status. Callers receive direct and immediate access to legal assistance and brief advice on a wide range of civil legal issues. Ryan White Project (866) 635-2948 The Ryan White Project provides free legal services to Maryland residents who are HIV positive or who have AIDS and live in Baltimore City or Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, Howard, or Queen Anne’s counties. Proof of residency, income, and HIV/AIDS status are required to open a case. Legal assistance provided by Maryland Legal Aid is designed to address the health-harming legal needs of people living with HIV/AIDS, and to enable them to focus on fighting the effects of HIV/AIDS and staying well. Assistance provided by Maryland Legal Aid is an essential component of a holistic and comprehensive continuum of care for each client. More Information MLA Welcome -PDF Folleto de bienvenida español -PDF Human Rights Brochure -PDF For more details about who is eligible for services, see Income Guidelines. For those who qualify, there is NO FEE for Maryland Legal Aid's services. Grievance Process You have the right to appeal a decision that you are not financially eligible for Maryland Legal Aid’s services or that we cannot handle your specific issue. The first step is to contact the chief attorney of the office making this determination. If you are not satisfied with the chief attorney’s decision, you may submit a complaint to Maryland Legal Aid’s Executive Unit. If you have a complaint about how your case is being handled, you should contact the chief attorney of the office that is providing assistance to you. If you are not satisfied with the chief attorney’s response, you may contact Maryland Legal Aid’s Executive Unit. If the Executive Unit is unable to resolve the matter to your satisfaction, you may submit a complaint to the Grievance Committee of Maryland Legal Aid’s Board of Directors. To contact the Executive Unit or the Board of Directors, write to: Maryland Legal Aid 500 East Lexington Street Baltimore, Maryland 21202 Maryland Legal Aid’s brochures are to be used for general information only and are not intended to provide specific legal advice. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the material presented in the brochures. To understand how the law applies to your individual circumstances, however, you should seek legal counsel. In addition, please check our contact page for the most up-to-date list of Maryland Legal Aid office locations and telephone numbers. Quick Links Online Intake Donate Online Careers Press Room Annual & Special Reports Privacy Policy People’s Law Library Pro Bono Attorney Opportunities State and Regional Services Community Lawyering Initiative (443) 451-2805 Farmworker Program (800) 444-4099 Foreclosure Legal Assistance Project (888) 213-3320 Long-Term Care Assistance Project (866) 635-2948 Maryland Senior Legal Helpline (866) 635-2948 Joining Forces Project Veterans’ Hotline (443) 863-4040 Ryan White Project (866) 635-2948 MD Courts Help Centers The Maryland Courts Help Centers provides free limited legal services by phone (410) 260-1392 and Live Chat. For more information on the Maryland Center for Legal Assistance visit www.mdcla.org. Select Language Arabic Chinese (Simplified) Dutch English Filipino French German Italian Japanese Korean Portuguese Russian Spanish © 2021 Legal Aid Bureau, Inc., (Maryland Legal Aid). All Rights Reserved. 500 East Lexington Street, Baltimore, MD 21202 Maryland Legal Aid is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Tax identification number: 52-0591621. Contributions to Maryland Legal Aid are tax-deductible. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. To learn more, read our privacy policy. OkPrivacy Policy