What You Need to Know About Collier Legal Aid: A Guide to Navigating Justice What is Collier Legal Aid? Collier Legal Aid is nonprofit in Collier County dedicated to enhancing equal access to justice in the Collier County Courts and Department of Justice. The program provides pro bono support (i.e., short-term legal advice, consultations and/or referrals) regarding legal issues to eligible residents of Collier County, as well as providing access to the pro bono attorneys on our panel of Collier Legal Aid Attorneys who provide their services on a voluntary basis at no charge to clients. All pro bono services are offered to low income families , individuals, seniors/case managers, and/or otherwise qualified applicants. Legal Aid Services are available primarily in Collier County, but often provide referrals and assistance to clients on legal matters outside the county.Collier Legal Aid is committed to supporting the integrity and independence of the judiciary and improving access to justice. Our goal is to enhance public awareness of civil legal matters and the need for pro bono support for those unable to obtain legal counsel on their own behalf. Who qualifies for Collier Legal Aid? Collier Legal Aid services are designed to help low-income residents of Collier County and all services are free of charge. However, not everyone who seeks help qualifies. In order to qualify for services, the Legal Aid office staff must determine your legal need and financial eligibility.Legal Aid staff will not be able to determine, through either the Walk-In or Telephone Interview programs, if your case is appropriate for assistance until they ascertain whether your family income is at or below the amount required by state regulations to qualify you for legal aid services. As a general rule, your family income must be less than 125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines as established by the U.S. Department of Justice.There are, of course, exceptions to the general rule. For example, in cases that involve abuse, a violation of civil rights, the loss or threat to health, safety or shelter, we will be able to consider cases above the general income limit. In particular, we encourage all victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking or dating violence to seek our help.In addition to having a family income that is at or below 125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, applicants must also be residents of Collier County. Only cases involving events or transactions that occurred in Collier County may be considered for assistance.Types of cases that are generally covered by Legal Aid resources include: disability advocacy, food stamp advocacy, housing, utility and other public benefits advocacy, Medicaid advocacy, consumer and finance advocacy, family law, health law, wills and probate, veterans services, immigration assistance, education advocacy, public benefits, family law, domestic violence, stalking and sexual assault, landlord/tenant issues, adoption, special needs advocacy, bankruptcy, civil lawsuits, fair housing issues, pro bono referral and problem solving. Collier Legal Aid’s Services Collier Legal Aid provides a broad range of services covering all types of family law issues, including divorce, child support and visitation, alimony, parent relocation, domestic violence, termination of parental rights, paternity, pre-nuptial agreements, and post-nuptial agreements, as well as legal matters in housing, bankruptcy, consumer rights, probate, and guardianships. Collier Legal Aid also works in partnership with a number of local organizations, including Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, Abuse Counseling and Treatment Center and other programs dedicated to providing critical services to low income individuals and families in Collier County. Through its senior immigration programs, Collier Legal Aid assists the spouses of military veterans obtain status and citizenship. Applying for Collier Legal Aid Services in the County To apply for legal aid through Collier Legal Aid, you can call them directly to schedule an intake appointment over the phone. A number of documents are required in order to submit an application. These include: In addition to the documents above, a personal statement is required in which the applicant explains their legal problem and what type of help they need from Legal Aid. Applications will not be processed unless all documents on the list have been submitted and the personal statement has been provided. Applicants are urged to not send in docs piecemeal; if any item on the list is missing, a determination will not be made until all docs have been received. Once all documents have been submitted, a legal team in Collier County will conduct an evaluation. If the staff thinks that you may be eligible for reduced-fee or pro bono legal services, you will be contacted to come into the office for an interview. After the interview, your case will be assigned to either one of the legal staff members, or it will be referred to a volunteer attorney. Collier Legal Aid will also act as liaison in your case, helping you to prepare for and navigate through any court proceedings that may relate to your particular legal issue. Success Stories of Collier Legal Aid The work of Collier Legal Aid has had a major positive impact on the lives of many who have sought assistance with their legal needs. From representing low-income divorcing parents to helping seniors solve their consumer issues, Collier Legal Aid has made a significant difference, both for individuals and to the community at large.Their work is felt both in the short and long term. In the long term, Collier Legal Aid helps families secure legal protection from abusers, keeps parents connected with their children, provides legal and continuing education that helps reduce the instances of elder abuse and consumer fraud, and helps families struggling with other legal issues make a new start in life. In the short term, they obtain protective orders (such as injunctions for protection against domestic violence), overturn wrongful evictions (allowing the elderly to remain at home in their final years), and obtain refunds for excess insurance premiums paid by innocent children of unlicensed parents.A few notable successes include: In 2007, Collier Legal Aid passed complaints to the state mortgage regulators regarding a predatory mortgage broker who had charged excessive fees and charged the same fee multiple times for single service. One of the brothers involved in a family tree dispute for ownership of a house in the Naples area was turned away from several attorney offices when he told them the house was sold and his brother received the money from the sale. When he came to Collier Legal Aid , he was not required to pay any expenses until the case was settled, and Collier Legal Aid negotiated a settlement that saved him $18,000. Some of Collier Legal Aid’s most significant work has involved addressing the rights of the grandparents of children abandoned in the wake of the foreclosure crisis. They represented four grandparents in four different cases throughout Collier County. The grandparents were seeking visitation or custody rights to their grandchild or grandchildren. In 2013, they completed an unprecedented seven custody and adoption cases for grandparents in Collier County. Previously, there was only one reported case in Collier County involving grandparents seeking to adopt, and that was nearly ten years ago. Having so many cases finalized in such a short span of time shows how dramatically the racial composition of the Southwest Florida region has changed in the aftermath of the foreclosure crisis. The grandparents are a diverse group. All five women are white, while the men are more diverse; two white, one Afro-Caribbean, and one Hispanic. The children are also of different descent: Native American, Jewish, and African American. Help Out & Volunteer Collier Legal Aid thrives on the generosity of our volunteers and supporters. Our commitment to ensuring that everyone has access to justice depends on the combined efforts of individuals and firms who donate their time and financial resources to help with the mission of Collier Legal Aid. More than 50 community-minded organizations and over 100 individuals have contributed more than $325,000 over the past year in generous financial donations. In addition to financial support, Collier Legal Aid is proud to have the commitment of over 150 volunteers who donate their time and expertise to provide legal advice and counsel at clinics and events across the county. These volunteer attorneys are joined by law students and paralegals to help ensure that our neighbors have access to the legal aid they need.To become involved with Collier Legal Aid, whether as a volunteer attorney, law firm, corporation, or individual, contact us today. Without the generous contributions of our volunteers and supporters, Collier Legal Aid would not exist. Contact Information & Resources At Collier Legal Aid, you’re never alone. Your legal matter becomes our matter – a matter of justice, that is.Collier Legal Aid is here to serve you through one-on-one representation, as well as providing one-to-many services like the Consumer Law Program, Simon’s Small Claims Clinic, and Veterans Clinic. We can help you with custody arrangements, protection from domestic violence, foreclosure defense, consumer issues and collection matters, and much more.Here’s how to get in touch with us, and what resources we have available:Collier Legal Aid817 1st Ave. South, Suite 104Naples, FL 34102Naples: 239-775-7806Immokalee: 239-657-2182Toll Free: 1-866-225-1946Collier Legal Aid offers a number of free Legal Aid Seminars. These seminars have limited space and registration is required. Stay tuned to our website and email newsletters to find out when new classes are scheduled!The Consumer Law Program has been serving clients in Collier, Charlotte , Glades and Hendry counties since 1999. Clients receive direct representation in various civil consumer-related legal matters including, but not limited to, consumer fraud, landlord-tenant, debt collection, small claims and bankruptcy. Clients in the CLP are assisted by the staff attorneys, legal assistants, volunteer attorneys, and student interns. Learn more about CLP.Simon’s Small Claims Clinic is a consumer-oriented clinic to assist low-income individuals with small claims issues, including small claims court procedures, simple evictions, debt collection, return of security deposit, and general consumer issues. By translating complex legal language into every day terms, we make going to court simple. Learn more about Simon’s Small Claims Clinic.Veterans Clinic provides limited scope representation for veterans for VA benefits, VA overpayments, VA garnishments, VA debt, veteran’s issues with private lenders, veterans issues with Social Security Disability, Spinal Cord Injury cases, special needs trust and probate issues. Learn more about Veterans Clinic.