Application For JALA Services
You can begin the first step of the process to apply for JALA services online or by phone:
Online Intake Form
Fill out our online intake form and a member of our staff will contact you either by email or telephone within the next 3 to 5 business days.
.Or, call one of our office locations to begin our intake process.
Please note: Criminal Cases are handled by the Public Defender’s Office.
Qualified Individuals with Disabilities
If you are a person with a disability who needs an accommodation in order to access our services, you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of certain assistance. To request such an accommodation, please contact our ADA Coordinator at least five business days prior to the required service.
Florida Relay is a service provided to residents in the State of Florida who are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, Deaf/Blind, or Speech Disabled that connects them to standard(voice) telephone users. Dial 7-1-1.
FAQ
JALA attorneys and advocates handle cases involving community development issues, consumer issues, education issues, family law issues, elder law issues, employment and unemployment issues, fair housing issues, housing issues, health issues, public benefits issues, mental health issues, veterans issues and immigration issues. JALA also provides a variety of legal services for those persons having HIV or AIDS.
Learn more about the legal services offered by JALA:
Many of JALA’s programs and services are offered only to those that meet our financial eligibility guidelines. Generally, JALA will consider representation of clients that are within 200% of the poverty line. Clients are financially qualified for our services during their confidential intake interviews. Income is calculated based upon the gross income household earnings of the applicant, and the number of persons in the household. Non-exempt assets may also be considered in qualifying applicants for our services.
There are however many of our program units that are not income sensitive. The units that are not income sensitive are the fair housing unit, Ryan White unit (HIV/AIDS), Immigration unit, and our Title III unit that helps our elderly citizens that are age 60 and older.
JALA’s grants and programs may change, so please call our office where we’ll better be able to determine your eligibility for legal assistance.
If you reside outside of our service area, you must contact your local legal aid agency and request they send a referral to our office. Please address referrals to the intake department.
There may be a charge for some of our legal services provided through our low bono family law program FLARE and our low bono Immigration program AIRE . For our grant funded programs there is no charge for the legal services rendered here at JALA. However, you may be asked to pay other costs associated with litigation such as filing fees, deposition fees, transcript fees, or other court costs. Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, Inc. may also request attorney’s fees be paid by the opposing party in your legal issue.
All of our client’s cases are important, however a few require immediate help. If this is a true emergency (example, a time sensitive situation such as you have been served with an eviction notice), please call the office directly and state that this is a legal emergency and you need immediate legal help.
Even if we cannot take on your case, there are other avenues to receive help:
If you are over-income, you may call the Lawyer Referral Service at (904) 399-5780. There you will be directed to a local attorney who handles the type of problem you have. For $50 you will receive a thirty minute consultation from that attorney about your legal issue.
“Ask-A-Lawyer” events. These events are free of charge. Individuals have the opportunity to speak with an attorney, one-to-one, for 10-15 minutes to get insight and guidance on a specific legal matter. The attorneys are not opening cases for representation but are providing legal information on options for resolving an issue and opinions on whether a case has legal merit. More information on the next Ask-A-Lawyer event.
Also, JALA is fortunate to have many volunteer pro bono attorneys who take cases we are unable for some reason to handle. In many situations your case may be referred to one of those private pro bono volunteers.
In addition, although JALA handles many family law cases, there are instances when due to a lack of resources JALA is unable to help with a divorce, paternity or child custody case. In those instances you may call Family Court Services at the Duval County Courthouse at (904) 630-7682 for assistance and guidance in how to handle the case yourself.
Additional areas of assistance
Immigration Issue Assistance:
Immigration Clients are seen at the Jacksonville Office.
JALA’s Refugee Immigration Project is only able to help certain types of immigrants who have immigration cases – refugees, people granted asylum (asylees), Haitian/Cuban entrants/parolees, persons who have their green cards but originally were refugees/asylees/C-H entrants/parolees, Amerasians, Iraqi & Afghani Special Immigrant Visa holders and persons certified as victims of human trafficking.
Immigrants who have one of those statuses may come to the project’s offices on the 2nd floor of JALA between 8:30-5:00, Monday-Friday, or may call (904) 356-8371, ext. 334.
Family Law Legal Assistance at Reduced Expense (FLARE) Program:
JALA’s FLARE Program will offer reduced fee legal services for matters such as divorce, child custody, child support, spousal support, and paternity. These reduced fee services will be available to individuals who do not qualify for free legal services but who also do not have enough income to pay the standard rate of legal services. Individuals who would like to receive family law legal assistance at a reduced fee, may complete an application to see if you qualify. At this time, this program is only available for cases to be heard in Duval County.
Please note that you will be required to provide proof of income in order to submit your application. After applying for the FLARE Program, individuals will receive more details about the next steps.
FLARE Client ApplicationAssistance with Immigration Law at a Reduced Expense (AIRE):
JALA’s AIRE is a program that provides legal assistance at a reduced expense for qualifying individuals seeking immigration assistance. This program will serve individuals who do not qualify for free legal services but who also do not earn enough income to pay a private attorney.
Please click the button below to access the online AIRE Pre-screening Application.
Haga clic en el botón de abajo para acceder a la Solicitud de preselección de AIRE en línea.
Follow the link to learn what to do if you have a grievance with JALA (PDF)