Please note that what we can help with depends on where you live, the details of the situation, and the current staff bandwidth to take on new cases.
AREAS WE SERVE:
Charlottesville Area:
- Albemarle, Charlottesville, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson.
Northern Virginia Area:
- Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church, Herndon, Loudoun, Prince William, and Stafford.
Petersburg Area:
- Colonial Heights, Dinwiddie, Hopewell, Petersburg, Prince George, and Surry.
Richmond Area:
- Charles City, Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico, New Kent, Powhatan, and Richmond.
Other:
- Our team also works with migrant workers across the state, especially on the Eastern Shore and in southwest VA.
If your issue happened outside the listed counties, we likely do not serve you. You can contact your local legal aid here or by calling 1-866-LEGLAID (1-866-534-5243).
| Charlottesville Area: 1000 Preston Ave., Suite A Charlottesville, VA 22903 Phone: (434) 977-0553 Fax: (434) 977-0558 | Northern Virginia Area: 6402 Arlington Blvd, Suite 1130 Falls Church, VA 22042 Phone: (703) 778-3450 Fax: (703) 778-3454 | Richmond Area: 626 East Broad St, Suite 200 Richmond, VA 23219 Phone: (804) 643-1086 Fax: (804) 643-2059 | Petersburg Area: 237 N. Sycamore St., Suite A Petersburg, VA 23803 Phone: (804) 862-2205 Fax: (804) 643-2059 |
| International: 1-800-269-4717 (In Mexico, dial 001 first) | * Individuals may call the Richmond office (804-643-1086) for phone intakes Monday-Friday. |
WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR LAJC SERVICES
In order for us to determine whether we can help you, you must be screened for eligibility. During this brief screening, a member of our Intake team will ask about:
- Names and birth dates of people involved in your case [to check for conflicts of interest]
- Where you live and where your issue took place
- Demographic information, including your income, financial resources, and household size
Our program only serves low-income clients. Applicants must meet income and financial requirements. Income is based on household income and can be affected by medical expenses, work expenses, and other factors.
We accept clients of all immigration statuses and keep that information confidential (though we do need to ask). We also have translation services available in all languages upon request
HOW TO GET HELP
If you are seeking help with a legal issue, please contact the Legal Aid Justice Center office closest to you. If you do not speak with someone or are asked to do so, be sure to leave a voicemail. A member of our staff will be in touch with you as soon as possible.
Please note that anyone seeking to receive legal advice or become a client of LAJC must first complete an intake interview. This is just a conversation with you to review your legal issue and determine your eligibility. We may ask you to submit supporting documentation for your possible case. Everything you tell us will be kept confidential. The intake interview will be with an intake representative, not necessarily an attorney.
Completing an intake interview does not guarantee that you will receive legal advice and/or representation by LAJC.
HOW INTAKE WORKS
Intake Interview: If you have documents related to your case – court notices, school communications, leases, contracts – it will be helpful to have those with you during the intake interview. Our intake representative may ask you to share those with us after your interview to have a better sense of the legal issues in your case.
Intake Callback: Once we review the information in your case, you will normally get a call back from intake. The intake staff generally will give you either a referral to another organization (if we are unable to help you and another organization may be able to assist), or describe the next steps that an attorney will take with you. In some instances, you may hear back directly from an attorney or paralegal.
If you miss the call from our intake staff, call the LAJC office you first contacted and leave a voicemail letting us know that you are still interested in receiving help.
Timeline: From the time our intake representative confirms that your intake has been completed, it may take up to 7 business days to hear back from our offices. After that, it may take additional time to speak directly to an attorney. If your issue is time-sensitive, please be sure to let staff know of any important dates coming up, including court hearings and filing deadlines. You are responsible for handling any issues (including meeting any deadlines) unless or until an LAJC attorney agrees to assist you with them.
Attorney Appointment: Please make sure to be available during your appointment. If you need to reschedule for any reason, please call us as soon as possible, and leave a voicemail with different times you can be available.
An appointment with an attorney does not guarantee representation or any other specific legal assistance.
The attorney may give you advice only, choose to investigate further by requesting additional documents, choose to represent you fully, or otherwise. Sometimes the representation may be limited to one part of your case, rather than representing you on everything. If you are ever unclear about what your attorney is offering you, you can request a copy of a representation agreement. If the attorney is only advising you, there does not need to be a representation agreement, but you can still ask for clarification.
