The Hidden Harm of Civil Legal Issues: A path to help Americans in need

(Family Features) Your landlord is threatening to evict you, while maintenance issues in your apartment complex have been ignored, making it difficult to get to work and pay the bills. That’s a civil legal issue. You know you’re qualified for veterans or Social Security benefits, but you can’t seem to get through the red tape. That’s a civil legal issue. The mobile home park where you lease a space for your manufactured home is kicking you out, and you may lose your investment in the home as well as a place to live. That’s a civil legal issue. A survey from the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) found many Americans who experienced a civil legal matter within the past three years (59%) didn’t seek legal help from an attorney who could have been pivotal in getting their issues resolved. A misunderstanding found in the survey is that more than half of American adults (56%) wrongly believe they have a right to a lawyer in a civil case. In fact, Americans only have a right to a lawyer when they have been accused of a crime. This misperception means some people may end up in civil court at a big disadvantage in a complex legal system because they don’t have legal representation. Civil legal issues can be life changing. Even though people do not have a right to a lawyer in these cases, free help is available for many low-income people who cannot afford to hire a lawyer. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, LSC supports 130 independent, nonprofit legal aid programs in every state, the District of Columbia and the territories. It launched the Protecting the Promise outreach campaign, aimed at ensuring legal aid is available to low-income Americans who need it. Legal aid attorneys help with the most common civil legal issues people in the national survey said they faced in the last three years, even if they didn’t recognize them as legal issues. Those were debt collection (63%), job loss (56%) and issues surrounding natural disasters (52%). In addition to these issues, legal aid organizations supported by LSC also help with family law issues like divorce, child custody and domestic violence. Many Americans don’t realize when they could benefit from legal assistance. A significant portion of Americans (1 in 3) who didn’t seek legal help for civil matters in the past three years said they thought they could deal with the problem on their own or didn’t think the problem was serious enough for legal help. Additionally, almost one-quarter didn’t reach out for legal assistance because they didn’t think an attorney could help with their problems. More than three-quarters of women didn’t seek legal help when contacted by creditors or collection agencies compared to fewer than half of men who didn’t seek help. Money is a big barrier. Among those who did not seek legal assistance, nearly one-third did not do so because they were worried about the cost. Unresolved civil legal issues can pile up, hurting individuals, families and even entire communities. For people with low incomes, getting help can be difficult. Hiring a lawyer can be expensive, and most people don’t know where to start. To see if you’re eligible for civil legal aid or to find a legal aid organization in your area, visit lsc.gov.   Photos courtesy of Shutterstock