Where can I get free or inexpensive help?
Arizona Bar Foundation
The place to start is AZLawHelp.org. Here the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & Education and the State Bar, in partnership with numerous legal organizations offer a place where you can apply for legal aid, get answers to legal questions, download court forms and more. You can also call (866) 637-5341 to apply for legal aid over the phone.
Modest Means Project
The Modest Means Project is a partnership program of the State Bar of Arizona and the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services and Education.
The Modest Means Project provides low-cost legal assistance to people who don't qualify for free legal services, but can't afford to pay the standard rate for attorneys. Project attorneys assist individuals in a one-hour meeting for a fee of $75. In that meeting, attorneys offer only brief advice or unbundled services. Though not expected, a lawyer may offer full representation beyond the scope of the Project's one-hour consultation commitment, but must maintain the fee of $75 per hour. The Modest Means Project does not require attorneys to provide free legal services.
Legal issues available through the Modest Means Project are:
- Adult Guardianship
- Bankruptcy
- Consumer Law
- Consumer Law Appeals
- Criminal Misdemeanors
- Employment Law
- Family Law
- Family Law Appeals
- Guardianship
- Housing: Foreclosure
- Housing: Landlord/Tenant
- Immigration
- Juvenile Guardianship
- Mediation
- Wills & Trusts
Military Legal Assistance Project
The Military Legal Assistance Project provides low-cost legal assistance to active military and veterans who cannot afford the expertise of an attorney at standard rates, but who cannot qualify for free legal services due to income qualifications or case type restrictions. The Project serves those whose income is less than or equal to 150% of the federal poverty guidelines. Attorneys participating in the Military Legal Assistance Project are required to provide a free, one hour consultation to eligible applicants referred for service. If an attorney chooses to further the representation, the attorney agrees to do so on a pro bono basis.
You can apply by calling (866) 637-5341 to complete an automated phone application. If you're eligible, you'll receive a code to enter on AZLawHelp.org, where you can fill out an online form with your contact information and the area of law you need help with.
Other useful information can be found at lawforveterans.org, lawforkids.org and lawforseniors.org.
Do you think you've been the victim of consumer fraud?
The Arizona Attorney General's Office has jurisdiction over almost every type of product or service and encourages consumers who believe they've been defrauded by a business to file a consumer complaint at azag.gov (click on "consumer" then "file a complaint").
After the complaint is filed
Once a complaint is filed, the Office's legal staff will review it and most likely send it to the business for a response. The business is required to send back a written response to the complaint. The ATO will forward that to the consumer. If the business doesn't respond or the matter remains unresolved, one of the Office's volunteer conciliators may try to negotiate a resolution that the business and consumer find acceptable. If conciliation fails, the consumer may consider filing a lawsuit on their own, with or without an attorney.
Complaint data saved
As a state agency, the Attorney General's Office cannot provide legal advice or representation to individuals, but it does retain consumer complaint data to help identify new trends and may lead to a consumer protection enforcement action.
More information
Bilingual staff are available to assist consumers.
Consumers who have questions about the complaint process or who would prefer to have a hard copy of the complaint form mailed to them may contact the Consumer Information and Complaints Unit at:
- 602.542.5763 (Phoenix)
- 520.628.6504 (Tucson)
- 800.352.8431 (toll-free outside metro Phoenix)
- email at consumerinfo@azag.gov.
Statewide Legal Service Organizations