If you can't afford to pay a lawyer but need legal advice or counsel, then you will appreciate the work of legal aid services.  Although there are plenty who will have something negative to say about the work of the legal aid services, at least there is one agency that the lower income people can call upon to come to their assistance.

With attorneys commanding such high retainers and fees, it's left to Legal Aid Services to pick up the pieces of advocacy for the majority of people who are unable to afford the kind of payments that regular lawyers require to take on a case.  If you need advice on what to do in a given situation and you can't afford to pay a lawyer for an hour of his time, there's usually someone at the Legal Aid Services office who can advise if you have a legal case, if you need a lawyer or whether you can handle your situation on your own.  If you need a lawyer they can try to place you with the most appropriate member of their team. 

Often all people need is an official letter that will hold up in court.  This small task will still come with high price tag through a traditional attorney's office, and could make the difference between someone pursuing a person who owes them money, or not.  If they go to the Legal Aid Services however, they will get help on writing the letter and so be in a better position to get their money back.

Usually Legal Aid Services are a great source of legal information, advising on what the laws and procedures are for common types of cases.  If you are a victim of abuse - domestic or child for example - the Legal Aid Services will be able to advise you on how you can get out of your current position, and how to bring charges against your abuser if that's what you choose to do.

Although anyone using Legal Aid Services won't have the benefits that someone with an attorney from a hotshot law firm will have, what they will have is a qualified attorney who is willing to act on their behalf because they believe in them, and not just because they're being paid to do so.

To read more articles by Tony Robinson, check out http://a1-small-business.com.