Welcome to Legal Aid Line

Here to Help with Your Civil Legal Problems

Legal Aid of Western Ohio, Inc. (LAWO), Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc. (ABLE), and LAWO's pro bono partners are here to help you with your civil legal problems. All of our services are free. Some services may be provided by telephone, online, or by mail. Legal representation may be provided by one of our attorneys or by a volunteer attorney program partner. The size of our staff and our resources may limit the legal problems we are able to help you with. If we cannot help you with your problem, we will try to give you helpful information to handle your problem on your own or to find other help that may be available in your community.

Scam Alert: ABLE and LAWO will never ask you for a credit card or other payment for legal services. Potential scammers are contacting Ohioans and asking for payment information as "Legal Aid."  ABLE and LAWO do not charge for our legal services and provide them for free to eligible low-income people in our service area. Legal Aid Line intake specialists and legal experts will never ask for payment in any form. Please be careful with sharing any financial information, such as bank account access or credit card payments, if someone is claiming to be from Legal Aid. It is not our policy to ask for payment. Contact the Ohio Attorney General's Office to report a scam or file a complaint.

Be sure to visit our online Self-Help Center for information, forms, sample letters, and other helpful resources. We do not help with criminal matters. For help with a criminal matter, call the Public Defender’s office or your local Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral Service. If you are unsure whether your legal problem is civil or criminal, call us. We will help you determine which type of issue you have. If your civil legal problem is outside our 32-county service area, visit OhioLegalHelp.org to find the Ohio legal aid program near you.

Receiving help from LAWO, ABLE, or a volunteer lawyer program begins with Legal Aid Line. An application for services can be completed online or by telephone. Our intake staff will ask you questions to help us determine if you are eligible for free legal help. To receive help, you must be low-income and live in one of 32 counties of northwest and west central Ohio, OR be an Ohio resident and have a legal problem in one of 32 counties of northwest and west central Ohio, OR be an agricultural worker living or working anywhere in Ohio. Click here to view our service area and a list of the counties where we provide services.