Legal Assistance

Updated:

December 3, 2017

Included in this list are organizations that provide free or low-cost legal services to victims and survivors of abuse, as well as to others who qualify. Even if the organization does not have a lawyer available to represent you in court, you may want to ask if there is a lawyer with whom you can consult to obtain advice. We list the organizations by the county where the office is located, but many offices serve multiple counties. We indicate the “counties served” whenever possible. You can click “View All” to look through the complete list of organizations.

Please note: WomensLaw does not have a relationship with or promote the organizations listed on these pages. Because we include thousands of resources, we cannot review them regularly or vouch for the information or services they provide. We share these resources to help all victims and survivors of abuse find essential direct services and support their needs and safety concerns.

Organized by County:

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Barnstable

South Coastal Counties Legal Services, Inc. (Hyannis Office)

460 West Main Street
Hyannis, MA 02601
Phone: (508) 775-7020
Phone 2: (800) 742-4107
URL: https://sccls.org/

South Coastal Counties Legal Services, Inc. (SCCLS) provides free civil legal services to low-income and elderly residents of their communities. SCCLS provides free legal services in the areas of housing law, family law, government benefits including social security and disability, elder law, education law, and consumer law. South Coastal Counties Legal Services, Inc. serves Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, Nantucket, and Plymouth Counties, and the towns of Avon and Stoughton.

WE CAN

783 Route 28
Harwich Port, MA 02646
Phone: (508) 430-8111
Fax: (888) 694-6199
URL: https://www.wecancenter.org/
Email: info@wecancenter.org

WE CAN provides free legal services to low and moderate-income women. Attorneys specialize in the following areas: family law: divorce, child custody and support, wills and estates, real estate, employment, immigration, landlord-tenant issues, contracts, and debt and consumer issues. WE CAN serves Harwich Port, Hyannis, and Falmouth.

Bristol

South Coastal Counties Legal Services, Inc. (Fall River Office)

22 Bedford Street, 1st Floor
Fall River, MA 02720
Phone: (800) 287-3777
Phone 2: (508) 676-6265
Fax: (508) 678-5861
URL: https://sccls.org/

Essex

Northeast Legal Aid, Inc. (Lawrence Office)

50 Island Street, Suite 203A
Lawrence, MA 01840
Phone: (978) 458-1465
URL: https://www.northeastlegalaid.org/

Northeast Legal Aid, Inc. (NLA) has full-service offices in Lynn, Lowell, and Lawrence Massachusetts. NLA’s legal services include everything from community legal education and counsel and advice to full representation in complex litigation. NLA Lawyers and paralegals handle a wide range of civil legal problems including: housing evictions and foreclosures, consumer debt, public benefits, veterans legal needs, elders legal needs, community development, health law, domestic violence, and victims of crime and survivors of homicide victims with civil legal needs resulting from these crimes. Most of NLA’s services are limited to those who meet certain financial eligibility requirements, unless you are a victim of crime or a survivor of a homicide victim with a related legal need.

Northeast Legal Aid, Inc. (Lynn Office)

181 Union Street, Suite 201B
Lynn, MA 01901
Phone: (978) 458-1465
URL: https://www.northeastjusticecenter.org/

Northeast Legal Aid, Inc. (NLA) provides legal services to low-income individuals. NLA offers legal assistance in the areas of immigration, housing/foreclosure, public benefits, elder law, and/or victim of crime and survivor of homicide victim assistance.

Hampden

Massachusetts Justice Project

57 Suffolk Street, 4th Floor, Suite 401
Holyoke, MA 01040
Phone: (413) 533-2660
URL: http://ww.mlri.org/

The Massachusetts Justice Project provides legal services to low-income individuals and families. Massachusetts Justice Project offers legal assistance in the following areas: family law, housing, social security, unemployment benefits, government benefits, emergency assistance shelter, bankruptcy or debt collection, and more. The Massachusetts Justice Project serves Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, Berkshire, and Worcester Counties.

Middlesex

Boston College Legal Services LAB

Center for Experiential Learning
855 Centre Street, 3rd Floor Stuart Building
Newton, MA 02459
Phone: (617) 552-02459
URL: http://bclawlab.org/
Email: bclegalserviceslab@bc.edu

Boston College Legal Services LAB is a fully-functioning law firm within Boston College Law. Practice areas include: civil litigation (family law), community enterprise, entrepreneurship and innovation, housing, juvenile rights, immigration and the appellate program (provides pro bono representation to non-citizens with criminal convictions). Boston College Legal Services LAB serves Middlesex County.

Community Legal Services and Counseling Center

47 Thorndike Street, Suite SB-LL-1
Cambridge, MA 02141
Phone: (617) 661-1010
Fax: (617) 661-1011
URL: https://www.denovo.org/

Community Legal Services and Counseling Center (CLSACC) provides free civil legal assistance and affordable psychological counseling for people with low incomes. CLSACC offers services to victims of domestic violence, families and senior citizens at risk of homelessness, people with disabilities, and refugee and immigrant victims of torture, gender-based violence, human trafficking, domestic violence, and other types of crime. The Center offers legal assistance in the areas of family law and domestic violence, housing, and homelessness prevention, disability benefits, and immigration and refugee rights.

MetroWest Legal Services

63 Fountain Street, Suite 304
Framingham, MA 01702
Hotline: (800) 696-1501
Phone: (508) 620-1830
URL: https://mwlegal.org/

MetroWest Legal Services (MWLS) provides free civil legal aid to low-income people. MWLS’s priority practice areas include: family law (domestic violence), housing, homeless advocacy, government benefits (including social security), education, elder law, and immigration. MetroWest Legal Services serves Middlesex County.

Northeast Legal Aid (Lowell Office)

35 John Street, Suite 302
Lowell, MA 01852
Phone: (978) 458-1465
URL: https://www.northeastlegalaid.org/

Northeast Legal Aid (NLA) provides free civil legal services to low-income individuals and families and the elderly in Northeastern Massachusetts. NLA’s lawyers and paralegals handle a wide range of civil legal problems including: housing evictions and foreclosures, consumer debt, public benefits, public benefits, veterans and elders’ legal needs, immigration matters, community development, health law, and domestic violence.

Plymouth

South Coastal Counties Legal Services, Inc. (Brockton Office)

Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts LLC
231 Main Street, Suite 201
Brockton, MA 02301
Phone: (508) 586-2110
Phone 2: (800) 244-8393
URL: https://sccls.org/

Suffolk

Greater Boston Legal Services - Main Office

197 Friend Street
Boston, MA 02114
Phone: (800) 323-3205
Phone 2: (617) 371-1234
Fax: (617) 371-1222
URL: https://www.gbls.org/

Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) provides free legal assistance and representation on civil (noncriminal) matters to low-income residents with cases in Arlington, Belmont, Boston, Braintree, Brookline, Cambridge, Canton, Chelsea, Cohasset, Everett, Hingham, Holbrook, Hull, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Milton, Newton, Norwell, Quincy, Randolph, Revere, Scituate, Sommerville, Stoneham, Wakefield, Waltham, Watertown, Weymouth, Winchester, Winthrop, and Woburn. Areas of legal issues include, but are not limited to: elder support, employment support, family support (restraining orders, safety planning for abuse prevention, divorce, etc.), disability support, housing support, immigration support, and representation regarding DTA, cash benefits, food stamps and more.

The Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School

122 Boylston Street
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Phone: (617) 522-3003
Fax: (617) 522-0715
URL: http://legalservicescenter.org/about-the-legal-services-center/our-clinics/

The Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School provides legal assistance to low-income individuals and families. The Center’s legal advocacy is organized into the following practice areas: The Safety Net Project is for disabled or injured veterans seeking to prove eligibility for disability related incidents; estate planning, family law and domestic violence, federal tax unit, housing and more. The Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School serves Suffolk County.

Volunteer Lawyers Project

99 Chauncy Street, Suite 400
Boston, MA 02111
Hotline: (617) 603-1700
Phone: (617) 423-0648
Fax: (617) 423-0061
URL: https://vlpnet.org/

Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP) provides legal help to survivors of domestic violence, tenants facing eviction, people with limited English proficiency who need a divorce lawyer, and more. Volunteer Lawyers Project serves Suffolk County and some towns in Plymouth, Norfolk, and Middlesex Counties.

Worcester

Community Legal Aid, Inc. (Worcester Office)

405 Main Street, 4th Floor
Worcester, MA 01608
Phone: (800) 649-3718
Phone 2: (855) 252-5342
Fax: (508) 752-5918
URL: https://communitylegal.org/

Community Legal Aid, Inc. (CLA) provides free civil legal services to low-income and elderly residents of central and western Massachusetts. CLA represents clients in legal areas including: family and children (domestic violence), elder law, housing and homelessness, immigration, and benefits and employment.

Places that Help: Massachusetts