When you are convicted, you pay for your actions by going to prison or paying a fine. Once you complete the sentence, you should be welcomed back into society. Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen as people are mostly afraid of ex-convicts and denies them work, renting an apartment, and other legal rights. Ex-convicts find it difficult to reintegrate into society because of these problems, but they should know their legal rights to ensure that people’s fear won’t be an obstacle in the way of achieving their goals. However, getting legal advice from a lawyer can be out of budget as most ex-convicts don’t have a steady source of income. Fortunately, there are other sources where they can get legal advice for free or for an affordable fee.
Legal Aid Societies and Corporations
Throughout the United States, there are legal aid societies that provide legal advice for people who can’t afford it. They work independently apart from the government while some non-profit corporations have a contract with the state or local communities to offer legal advice to ex-convicts and other people with low income. The attorneys and paralegals at these societies and corporations have adequate knowledge of the law and will inform ex-convicts of their rights to help them get reintegrated into society. However, they must check the eligibility guidelines before contacting them.
Pro Bono Work
Some very successful and reputable attorneys offer legal advice and representation for free through pro bono work. If you have been mistreated by an employer or landlord, you can look for pro bono programs through your state’s bar association. Some attorneys work with a state bar association to provide legal advice to low-income people or anyone who fits their requirements. However, even if you meet the requirements, you might not get selected or wait for a long time to be accepted for pro bono work.
Websites
Technology has helped people to connect in a much easier way and has offered solutions for virtually everything. There are websites that offer legal advice for free, and other websites may charge you a small fee. Some of these websites even have a detailed list of lawyers according to their specialty such as divorce, bankruptcy, insurance, discrimination, and so on. If you are not interested in talking one-on-one with a lawyer, some websites act as a comprehensive legal hub with all the resources available to know your legal rights. You can go on Reddit and look for the legal advice subreddit if you want anonymity, but you may find advice from people who are not lawyers, but they can point you in the right direction. Twitter is another useful tool to connect with lawyers to ask them for legal advice. Twitter’s community is usually helpful, but you might wait for a while till a lawyer responds to your request.
Law School Clinics
Law school students participate in law school clinics to prepare for their futures by practicing their knowledge and skills with low-income people. These clinics usually provide legal advice and representation for the community around them. Law professors operate the law school clinics to supervise the students’ work and to give insights whenever needed, as most of these students lack real-life experiences regarding legal work. Ask around your community for nearby law school clinics and don’t be afraid to ask a student what your rights are, because even if they don’t know the answer, they will come back to you with the right answer.
Community Groups
The situation you are going through, many other people have gone through as well, and you can learn how to handle your issue and to know your legal rights from them. Many community groups such as second chance organizations, faith-based organizations, and veteran groups have many people that can give you legal advice on how to tackle the challenges ahead of you. Some of these community groups have connections with employers who are willing to hire ex-convicts if they have the required skills. If you are lucky enough, you may find an attorney in these groups that will provide you legal advice free of charge.
While some people may have an irrational fear of ex-convicts, other people still give them hope to be a functional part of society. Denying ex-convicts their legal rights will only make the problem worse as they will not find any way to support themselves or their families but to go back to doing illegal activities. There are many resources that can help ex-convicts to reenter society, find employment, and give them the legal advice they want.
