NEED LEGAL HELP? TUSCALOOSA LAWYERS OFFER ONCE-A-MONTH CLINIC

Legal problems are a burden on anyone, but a lawyer program in Tuscaloosa offers its guidance for free.

Organizers said the program helps those who don’t make a lot of money and couldn’t normally afford legal help.

A team of lawyers and University of Alabama School of Law students team up and share their legal expertise at the Tuscaloosa Public Library, said President of the Tuscaloosa County Bar Association Scott Holmes.

“Only about 17 percent of low-income people in the state of Alabama has access to free legal help for civil legal needs,” he said. “That leaves a huge portion of people unserved and under-served, so the Tuscaloosa County Bar, the Alabama State Bar Volunteer Lawyers Program and the University of Alabama law school started partnering in 2013 to provide this service.”

Retired Judge Herschel Hamner said programs like this are imperative because many people just can’t afford an attorney.

“I think it’s something that the Bar should do and has done for a long time,” he said. “Because a lot of people just don’t have access to the legal system like they need to, or don’t have the ability to pay an attorney to represent them in court.”

Hamner said in certain cases, the association provides lawyers for those who qualify.

“We feel there is a situation where they will need an attorney,” he said. “Then the state Bar has a pool of attorneys they can go to that will provide free legal services and representation to the people who come here.”

The legal clinic is open at the Tuscaloosa Public Library every third Thursday of the month between 3 and 5 p.m

For more information, visit alabar.org.