About Civil Legal Aid

Maine Law Clinical Programs was established in 1970, as the Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic and was one of the first law school clinical programs in the country. The Clinic provides free legal aid to low-income individuals and families every year. It is a defining program of Maine Law, providing practical skills training for students and helping to fulfill the Law School’s commitment to social justice. All legal services are provided by law students who are enrolled in one of four clinical courses: General Practice, Prisoner Assistance, Youth Justice, and Refugee and Human Rights. Students enrolled in each of these courses also participate in the Clinic’s Protection from Abuse program, in which student attorneys assist victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking seeking civil protection orders. Student attorneys represent real clients in real cases. From intake meetings to filing court documents and standing up before a judge, students handle all aspects of client relations and case management under the close supervision of faculty who are leaders in their fields.

The Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP) advances justice for Maine immigrants through direct legal services, community education, and systemic advocacy. Whether through an in-depth one-time consultation or full legal representation in complex multi-year cases, ILAP ensures that immigrant community members receive expert legal guidance and fair treatment under the law. And where laws and policies are unjust, ILAP works to change them. ILAP is proud of our 30-year history working with Maine’s immigrant communities. Each year, we help more than more than 3,000 people in all 16 counties find safety from violence and persecution, keep their families together, and fully participate in our communities and economy.

Maine Equal Justice (MEJ) is a nonprofit civil legal aid and economic justice organization working to increase economic security, opportunity, and equity for people in Maine. We advocate for fair public policies in the legislature and with governmental agencies; provide direct legal services and representation through impact litigation on systemic issues; and partner with diverse low-income communities and agencies through outreach, organizing, and education.

Pine Tree Legal Assistance believes that there should be fairness, justice and equality for all, and, that if we can instill more fairness in our society, there will be less poverty. Our mission is to ensure that state and federal laws affecting poor people are upheld, while also addressing the systemic barriers to justice faced by Mainers with low incomes. To achieve our mission, we provide free civil legal assistance in cases where it can make a difference in one’s ability to meet one’s basic human needs or in enforcing one’s basic human rights, including access to housing, food, income, safety, education, and healthcare.

The Volunteer Lawyers Project’s mission is to increase equal access to justice for low-income and vulnerable Maine people by engaging Maine lawyers in pro bono service. Our goals are to increase awareness of the civil legal needs of people with low incomes, to highlight the importance of pro bono service in filling the gaps in legal aid, to connect low-income clients who have civil legal issues with volunteer lawyers, and to develop pro bono opportunities for lawyers and non-lawyer volunteers.

Legal Services for Maine Elders has been protecting the rights of older Mainers since 1974. We help Mainers aged 60 and over when their basic human needs are at stake. Our mission is to provide free, high quality legal services to older Mainers whose economic and social needs are extensive.