Need Legal Help? Call Pine Tree Legal Assistance

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Free legal help for low-income people in Maine 

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Pine Tree Legal provides free legal help to low-income people living in Maine. There is no charge for our services, but you may be asked to help with court costs.

• Most of our legal services are available only for people with income at or below 125% of the federal poverty level.
• Sorry, we don't help with traffic violations or criminal law.

Because of our limited staff , we can't help everyone who needs us. Please contact the nearest Pine Tree office to see if we can help you.

"BUT YOUR PHONES ARE ALWAYS BUSY!"

Sometimes you may have a hard time getting through on the phones. We want to hear from you, so please keep trying.

We use a voicemail system in some offices. Maybe this seems unfriendly, but it helps us to serve you better. Leave a message and we will call you back.

The phones are especially busy on Mondays and Fridays and first thing in the morning. So try us again at different times. Don't wait until the last minute to call us about an emergency!

What Will Happen When You Ask for Help from Pine Tree Legal?

• Call or go to the nearest Pine Tree office. If you don't speak English, ask for a translator right away. We will provide one free of charge.

• To be sure that you qualify for help, we will ask some questions about your income and other personal information. Pine Tree will not tell anyone else anything about you unless you want us to.

• If you don't qualify for our help, we will tell you right away.

If you do qualify for Pine Tree help

• We will advise you about how to solve your problem yourself. We may also give you some written information about your legal rights.
• We may ask you to send us more information about your case. We will review it before we meet with you again to give you more advice.
• We may need to do some legal research and discuss your legal issues before we can advise you. We will meet with you again later.

Be sure you understand what services we are agreeing to give you.

Ask questions.

Write down the name of the person helping you.

Take notes.

If you need more help, call us again.

Where Can You Find Us?

Call any of our offices Monday through Friday mornings. Some offices open earlier and provide phone and "walk-in" service during the afternoon.

For more detailed information about each office here

You will not be denied our services on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, creed, national origin, age, religion, political affiliation or belief, or disability.

For self-help information in languages other than English, use links at the bottom of any page.

We may be able to help with

• Evictions, landlord/tenant problems, housing discrimination
• Problems with welfare benefits (including TANF, food stamps, general assistance, disability,
• Tax problems with the IRS (Click on the link to read more about our Tax Clinic)
• Domestic Violence
• MaineCare services and coverage, and
• Poverty tax abatements for
• KIDS Legal Aid
• Consumer problems
• Problems with DHHS & child support
• Job training/ASPIRE/PaS
• Other serious civil legal problems

Sorry, we can't help with criminal cases or traffic violations.

If you need help with a family law case (divorce, parental rights), please call:

Volunteer Lawyers Project

1-800-442-4293 or 774-4348

June 2011
PTLA #998