Your Lawyer

Do You Need a Lawyer?

Maybe you have just a quick question or know you’ll need an attorney but can’t afford to pay one. There are resources available to help you.

Idaho Legal Aid Services

Idaho Legal Aid Services provides free civil help to persons who qualify for its services.

Seniors age 60 and older can get free legal advice through the Senior Legal Hotline at 208-746-7541. Get your documents and facts together before you call. The Hotline attorney will be able to give you better advice if you have specific and accurate information.

Depending on your unique situation, you might get legal advice over the telephone, more detailed information sent to you by mail, referral to a staff or volunteer attorney for legal representation, or a referral to another community resource or private attorney if ILAS cannot assist on your case.

Visit www.idaholegalaid.org to find free information about legal issues and free interactive legal forms. The phone numbers and addresses for ILAS’s regional offices can be found on the back cover of this guide.

Idaho State Bar Lawyer Referral Service

Attorneys at the Idaho State Bar Lawyer Referral Service will briefly meet with you for no more than $35 to assess your legal situation. Call them at (208) 334-4500 or look online at: http://isb.idaho.gov.

Public Defender’s Office

You may have the right to a public defender. If you have been charged in a criminal case and you are indigent, you may qualify for representation by a public defender. ILAS cannot provide assistance in criminal cases.

Court Assistance Office

Every county courthouse in Idaho has a Court Assistance Office (CAO) to help people who don’t have a lawyer in civil cases. The CAO has court approved legal forms, videos, and brochures to assist pro se litigants. CAO staff can also answer questions about how to use their forms, but cannot answer legal questions.

Idaho Volunteer Lawyers Program

If you are low income and need a lawyer for a civil matter, the Idaho Volunteer Lawyers Program (IVLP) may be able to help you in some types of cases. IVLP works to find volunteer attorneys to take cases for free.

Call: 1-800-221-3295 or (208) 334-4510 (Boise area).

Legal Clinics

At legal clinics, volunteer attorneys donate their time to answer legal questions. The number and types of clinics change frequently. As of the date of publication, some Idaho clinics include: 

The Idaho Trial Lawyers Association holds Street Law and Family Law clinics in Boise, you can get more information by calling 208-345-1890.

The Legal Link Clinic is held in Coeur d’Alene, call 208-416-4778 for more information.

The IVLP holds senior and veteran clinics across the state, call 334-4510 for more information or call 208-422-1000 for the Veteran’s Clinic.

Idaho Falls Senior Clinic can be reached at 208-22-4357