Description

Hours: M-F 10:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. Call or walk in to schedule an appointment. Full list of services includes:Our Mission is to provide pro bono legal services, education and counseling to qualified low-income residents of Riverside County. Free legal services to qualified individuals in the areas of:family law (divorce, support, custody, visitation, domestic violence restraining orders, paternity)evictionsguardianship/conservatorshipdebtor/creditor collection casescontract disputesbankruptcyFederal District Court civil casesFrequently Asked QuestionsDo you handle criminal matters? No. We assist with family law (divorce, custody, support, restraining orders, paternity), conservatorships, guardianships, civil (evictions for tenants, debtor-creditor & debt collection, civil restraining orders, suits on contracts, etc.), bankruptcy and federal court civil matters. Do you help with expunging (cleaning up) criminal records? No. However, you can find information about expungements and the forms you need on the Courts self-help website; on the Public Defenders "Relief" website; or at Inland Empire Latino Lawyers. When I call you I get voicemail. Will you call me back if I leave a message? Unfortunately, we dont have enough staff to answer most phone calls. However, all calls are returned if you leave a message. For faster service, you can walk into our office during our business hours to see if you qualify and to schedule an appointment. Do you represent people in court? Most of our legal services are provided in clinics in which you can meet with an attorney, paralegals prepare your paperwork under the supervision of an attorney, and we advise you how to file and serve the documents and appear in court. On rare occasions, we are able to negotiate a settlement with the other party or provide volunteer attorneys to represent you in court. Do you do evictions for landlords? Because you must qualify under our income and asset guidelines, we generally assist only tenants. However, under extenuating circumstances (for example, where there is abuse or elder abuse) we may assist with an eviction. Do you prepare the paperwork I will need to file in court? Yes, we prepare paperwork for you in all but our Federal Civil and Bankruptcy clinics. Do you prepare bankruptcy documents? No. We offer assistance with how to prepare the documents and we can review documents you prepare. We also offer quarterly workshops to the public which guide you through the forms and procedure line by line. Call for information on the next scheduled workshop. Come in and let us review your forms before you file to reduce the risk of having the court reject them. In a Guardianship, who do I have to serve the guardianship petition on? You must serve a guardianship petition on the childs biological or adoptive parents, all grandparents and all siblings (even minors). Do I have to serve all of those relatives even though I dont know who they are or how to contact them? You have to use due diligence to learn their identities and whereabouts, including asking anyone who may know them & looking on the Internet. You have to be able to prove to the court that you have exhausted all reasonable means to find them and were unsuccessful. You should be prepared to give us that information when you come in to have us prepare your guardianship petition. Can you help me if I dont live in Riverside County? Except for bankruptcy and federal court cases, you must live in Riverside County or you must have an existing case in a Riverside County Court for us to be able to assist you. Our Bankruptcy and Federal District Court Clinic serves anyone representing themselves whose case is or may be filed in the Bankruptcy or District Court for the Central District of California. Do I have to be low-income to receive your services? Except for our Bankruptcy and Federal District Court Self-Help Clinic, you must qualify under the Federal Legal Services Corporation or State of California income guidelines. You can call or come in to see if you qualify. The only requirement for the Bankruptcy and Federal District Court Clinic is that you must be representing yourself. Can you help me if you have assisted the other party? Generally, if we have assisted the other party in the same matter, we cannot assist you unless the other party consents in writing.

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