The Nebraska Equal Justice Clearinghouse is a joint project sponsored by Nebraska Appleseed Center, Legal Aid of Nebraska and other area agencies interested in providing Nebraska's low income community with an equal access to justice.

The term Pro Bono means that someone will help you with your legal problem without charging you for their help. Pro Se means that you provide your own legal help.

A Pro Bono organization will either help you with your case or will try to hook you up with an attorney who will help you with your case for free.

Pro Se organizations/clinics help people represent themselves. They try to help you understand the law in a particular area so you can help yourself and not have to have help from an attorney.

Civil legal service organizations include organizations such as Legal Aid of Nebraska, the Volunteer Lawyers Project at the Nebraska State Bar Association, or the civil clinics at the law schools in the state. Other organizations sometimes help you in a specific area, such as with domestic violence or landlord tenant problems. A civil legal services organization represents people in civil cases -- such as landlord/tenant issues, used car issues, divorce & custody issues, public benefits, etc. Criminal legal service organizations represent people in cases which are criminal.

For more information see "What is the difference between a legal services/legal aid program and the public defender program?" below

Nebraska Appleseed Center addresses the root causes of injustice by addressing issues of limited access to legal representation, unfair legislation and public policy, and the denial of basic rights and opportunities.

The other organizations involved with the Nebraska Equal Justice Clearinghouse provide assistance with a number of different types of cases. The following is only a sample of some of the issues organizations such as the Nebraska State Bar Association, Legal Aid of Nebraska, and the legal clinics at the University of Nebraska College of Law and Creighton University's College of Law provide:

divorce, custody, and child support cases
bankruptcy cases
land lord tenant cases
social security benefit cases
guardianships
and some immigration cases

To find out if an organization can help you with your type of case, you should contact the organization directly or visit their website to learn what types of cases they handle.

Cases filed in court are generally divided into two different categories. A case is either considered a civil case or a criminal case. A criminal case is a case filed by the city attorney or county attorney against someone for breaking the law. A civil case would be any other type of case that does not involve breaking the law. This could be a divorce case, establishing child support and custody, an eviction case, or many other types of cases.

Legal services and legal aid programs provide assistance to people only in civil cases. Individual organizations have various requirements that you must meet in order to receive assistance from them. For instance, even though your case may be a civil case, you might not qualify for assistance from a particular organization because that organization doesn't help people involved in your type of case. Many legal services organizations providing assistance in civil cases also have income requirements. This means they may not be able to provide you with help if your income is above a certain level.

Criminal legal services can help you with a criminal case. In Nebraska, the Public Defender in your county would be considered a criminal legal services provider. Public Defenders are appointed by a judge and whether you can get help from a Public Defender depends in part on your income and in part on the penalty you face if you are convicted of the crime you are charged with. If you are involved in a criminal case and cannot afford an attorney, you should ask the judge to appoint one for you. Simply asking for a public defender does not mean you are entitled to one.

The eligibility requirements vary from one organization to the next. Eligibility is often based on the type of case and information about your assets and income. You should contact the individual organizations directly to determine if you are eligible to receive their assistance. You can find contact information for the organizations at either the Helpful Organizations page or the Links page.

The best method to determine if you need a lawyer is to ask a lawyer. Most attorneys will not provide assistance if they do not believe you have a case.

Contact Legal Aid of Nebraska 1-877-250-2016 first. Most people find an attorney who can help them through friends who refer an attorney they have used. If you need an attorney, ask friends and co-workers if they can recommend an attorney who can help you. If you cannot find an attorney through a friend or coworker, you can contact the Nebraska State Bar Association for a referral.

The Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP) might be able to help you find an attorney as well. The VLP is part of the Nebraska State Bar Association and tries to help people with low incomes find an attorney who can help them without charging them. You can contact the VLP by calling the Nebraska State Bar Association at (402) 475-7091

If you are still unable to hire an attorney, you can look in your local yellow pages. If you feel your financial situation will prevent you from hiring an attorney, contact the attorneys in your area anyway. Tell them exactly what your legal problem is and let them know that you have a financial hardship. Many attorneys around the state will provide pro bono assistance (no fee charged) or at a reduced rate depending on your circumstances and their caseload at the time you contact them.

Legal services organizations cannot take every case. The reasons that a case might not be accepted vary from one organization to the next. If you one organization cannot help you, you should contact another organization. If you cannot find an organization that is able to help you, you should ask people you know and trust for a recommendation. The Nebraska State Bar Association also provides referrals for attorneys in your area.

You should seek legal advice if you are being sued or you believe your legal rights are in jeapordy. You should also seek legal advice if you believe you have been wronged by someone else and feel that a law suit is the only remedy you have. Time is an important factor in seeking an attorney and you may be not be able to get assistance if you wait too long.

The purpose of this website is to provide answers to basic legal questions. Unfortunately we do not have the ability to answer specific questions about your situation.

To find out additional information about various legal services programs, contact the organization directly or visit their website. You can find contact information for legal services organizations by clicking going to either the Helpful Organizations page or the Links page.

Please submit any suggestions you have about the website to Eric Wickizer.