When someone is faced with a criminal charge, we’ve probably all heard the saying, “You have the right to an attorney; if you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided.”
Do you ever wonder, however, what happens when civil legal issues arise for residents who can’t afford legal representation? Let’s say a veteran has been denied access to healthcare benefits after being discharged. Maybe a grandparent needs help fighting an eviction from the home they’ve lived in for decades. Or there could be a single parent who opens the mail one evening to find a debt collection lawsuit document full of court dates, demands and legal terminology that’s hard to understand. What happens then?
For millions of people facing civil legal problems in the United States, there is no guaranteed attorney waiting in the court system to handle that crisis. Oftentimes, this leaves residents thinking they have to navigate a complicated system on their own.
Full article on Palatka Daily News