FamilyLawInfo@PhilaLegal.org

AIs PLA open for intake right now to help my client complete a petition for child support or should I just send her to Family Court?@

AI have a client who has a custody hearing this Friday. Are there any attorneys at PLA who will be available to represent him this Friday?@

ADoes my client qualify for free legal services to get help with his divorce? I don=t want to send him to PLA if he is not eligible anyway.@

AI have been helping a teenage mother who is no longer living at home. I think that she might need a protection order against her boyfriend. Can PLA help her?@

PLA attorneys and paralegals are available to answer these and other family law questions via e-mail for staff at social services agencies, public interest law firms, health service providers, schools, and other groups working with low income clients.

PLA, the Federal Legal Services Corporation grantee for Philadelphia, provides free civil legal services to low-income people. One of our attorneys or paralegals will respond your e-mail questions. While we cannot provide specific legal advice for a client through an e-mail exchange, we can provide general legal information to help determine if your client has a problem which might have a legal solution. If your client has a legal problem, we can also help you determine if he or she is eligible for free legal services and whether the case is the type of matter for which PLA can provide advice, pro se assistance, or attorney representation. We hope that our Electronic Helpline will also be useful for referring clients to us who are unable to come into our office for regular walk-in intake hours. Such clients would include those who are physically challenged, who must work or attend class during our intake hours, or battered women living with their abuser who are having difficulty getting out of the home. Clients with internet access may also review our basic service information and brochures on our website at www.PhilaLegal.org.