Legal Aid holding free divorce clinics
Community Legal Aid will offer a free divorce clinic on a monthly basis in Wayne County. The clinic will be held in the conference room of Catholic Charities, 215 S. Walnut St., Wooster.
Community Legal Aid, a nonprofit law firm serving the legal needs of low-income individuals and families in Central Northeast Ohio, will offer a free divorce clinic on a monthly basis in Wayne County. The clinic will be held in the conference room of Catholic Charities, 215 S. Walnut St., Wooster.
Clinics will be held from 9 a.m.-noon on March 20, May 15, July 17, Sept. 18 and Nov. 20 this year.
The idea behind the clinic is to help those who want to file for divorce who can’t afford an attorney and whose divorces are simple enough the individual can handle the matter on their own once they have received assistance in completing the required forms.
“Interested prospective divorce litigants should contact the Community Legal Aid Helpline at 800-998-9454,” said Marie Moore, an attorney with Community Legal Aid and the coordinator of the clinic. “A screener will take down information about the individual and determine if they qualify for the program.
“There are certain criteria we look at to determine if the individual’s divorce fits the program. First, the individual cannot have certain assets, like real estate, and has to have a fairly uncomplicated divorce. There are also qualifications, like the fact they can have income up to 200% of the Federal Income Poverty Line, which is a higher income limit than many other low-income providers. Further, individuals who have experienced recent domestic violence may qualify for additional legal services.”
Once someone has been determined to be a good fit for the program, Legal Aid will send out a packet that includes the necessary divorce forms. The participant can complete some information on the forms before the clinic date. Reviewing the forms also gives the participants an idea of what information is asked for and what they need to make sure they know before the clinic.
At the clinic itself, a volunteer attorney will guide the prospective litigants through completing the required forms. Once the forms have been completed, the forms are reviewed to make sure they are completed correctly. Legal Aid staff members then notarize and copy the forms.
At the conclusion of the clinic, the divorce litigants are advised on how to file the forms.
“We have a form that is completed which allows filing fees to be waived so there is no financial barrier to filing for divorce,” Moore said. “Further, if someone runs into an issue in obtaining service on a spouse, a staff attorney can help advise how to proceed.”
Community Legal Aid offers legal services in Wayne, Medina, Summit, Stark, Portage, Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties. The organization believes that through legal advocacy it can transform the lives of those in poverty to increase opportunities, fairness and stability for a stronger community and justice for all. To read more about other services Legal Aid offers, visit www.communitylegalaid.org or call the helpline at 800-988-9454.