Introduction

What is Legal Services Alabama?

Legal Services Alabama (LSA) is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to providing access to justice and free quality civil legal assistance to educate and empower Alabama's low-income community from nine offices located in: Anniston, Birmingham, Dothan, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Opelika, Selma and Tuscaloosa.

Legal Services Alabama offices handle civil cases only. Each office has lawyers licensed to practice in Alabama and other staff who know how to help low-income people resolve their legal problems.

How does LSA help people?

  • By providing representation on critical legal matters in judicial and administrative forums

  • By providing timely legal counsel and advice

  • Through community education about rights and responsibilities ("preventative" law)

  • By providing effective mediation services that help clients and keep disputes out of the court system

  • Through development and distribution of legal self-help materials and forms

What LSA CAN'T do:

As a recipient of federal funds, LSA is restricted by Congress as to some of the work it is allowed to do. LSA:

  • Does not handle criminal cases

  • Does not accept fee-generating cases that private attorneys are willing to accept on a contingency fee basis

  • Cannot do class actions, rulemaking, lobbying, litigation on behalf of prisoners or represent certain categories of aliens